


Scapegrace

by Scorpius_Wears_Short_Skirts



Series: Cephalothorax AU [3]
Category: LazyTown
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Anal Sex, Drinking to Cope, Drunkenness, Ella is fourteen, Emotional Constipation, Future Fic, Glanni has feelings and no clue what to do with them or what they are, Glanni sleeps around, I Don't Even Know, Ithrotaalfurin just wants Glanni to be happy, Love Confessions, M/M, Mistakes, NSFW, Oral Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Permanent Injury, The kids are adults, Whipping, actually its the city of lust, demiromantic glanni, emotional parkour, eroticity is the city of passion and love, glanni continues to do whatever he wants, glanni no, i feel the need to apologize so, im sorry, ithro oh my gods taaaaalk, no nae nae though, several fetishes, sex as a coping mechanism, talk to each other for fucks sake, tearful confessions that come ten years too late, what is love? (baby don't hurt me)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-03
Updated: 2017-04-06
Packaged: 2018-09-28 04:17:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 26,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10071137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scorpius_Wears_Short_Skirts/pseuds/Scorpius_Wears_Short_Skirts
Summary: It's been years and they still don't really know what they are to each other.{Third installment of Cephalothorax}





	1. Run and Hide

**Author's Note:**

> It never ends. My brain just won't leave it. Robbie and Sportacus will still be around, but the focus is on Glannithro this time. Might change rating later since Glanni is Glanni.

Ithrotaalfurin was a fairly independent Elf with an equally, if not more so, independent mate. He was used to travelling alone and the Fae would come and go as he pleased. It wasn’t uncommon for Glanni to spend a couple of days at a time in the balloon. Ithrotaalfurin would actually prefer him to stay a bit longer, but he was aware of the fact if he tried to keep Glanni that the Fae would only feel trapped by him and that would hurt them both.

It did make him feel a little inadequate given the fact he was well aware he wasn’t the only one Glanni spent nights with. Ithrotaalfurin was one of many, he was sure. Still, Glanni always _came back_ to him and he supposed that counted for a lot. He liked to think that maybe he was one of the Fae’s favorites. Maybe even _the_ favorite, but it wouldn’t do to assume so highly. 

He wasn’t sure when the Fae’s opinion mattered so much to him, but it mattered now.

It was rare that Glanni showed up with the urgency that he did one Tuesday night in the middle of winter. The Fae quite literally crashed into the basket of the balloon with enough force to knock it off balance for a moment. The Elf startled, having been asleep before the disturbance.

“Glanni? What-?” He asked, his voice still hoarse from sleep.

“Shut up and hide me.” Said the Fae, shrinking himself and shoving himself up into the Elf’s hat.

Glanni did not like to shrink, compressing himself and dispersing the rest of his mass into mist was usually too much effort for him to bother with. Clearly something big had happened. Just to be safe he changed the course of the balloon. Whether the Fae was hiding from law or from something social was irrelevant. What mattered was his frantic mood now.

It was two hours of flying before Glanni began growing to his true size and climbing down from Ithrotaalfurin’s back, taking the hat off and throwing it back to the Elf, who caught it with his face before gravity let it fall to his hands.

“Careful with that!” Ithrotaalfurin squawked, carefully checking his crystal before replacing the hat on his head.

“If I broke it you’d feel it.” Glanni snorted, stretching out his wings and seating himself on the cot. “You should wash your hat. There’s a century of sweat in there.”

“I wash my hat weekly.” The Elf pointed out.

“Then you sweat enough for a century.” Glanni huffed.

Ithrotaalfurin rolled his eyes and settled to take off the Fae’s boots. Glanni watched him, leaning back against the wall of the basket as strong fingers dug into the soles of his feet. The Fae visibly relaxed, a drastic change considering how bothered he had been when he arrived.

“You don’t have to do that.” Glanni said softly, though made no move to stop him.

“Well, you’ve obviously been running in your heels. I’m sure your feet hurt.” Said the Elf.

Glanni chuckled and leaned forward, resting his chin on his fist and his elbow on his knee with a toothy grin. The Elf looked up at him inquisitively, wondering what the smile was for before deciding if he was meant to know he would be told. His patience was rewarded as Glanni took his feet away.

“We should go to Lazytown and check on our boys.” The Fae suggested. “Ella too. What is she now, fourteen?”

“Need somewhere to lay low? You aren’t going to take trouble there, are you?”

“Well I’m free so far so she probably gave up.” Glanni snorted.

“She?”

“Shit happens. Don’t worry about it.” Glanni gruffed, turning and flopping onto his side on the cot, folding his wings tightly against his back.

Ithrotaalfurin wanted him to elaborate, but he wasn’t about to pry. More likely than not, the Fae had spent quality time with someone who wanted more, which he knew had happened more than once. Usually he didn’t raise such a fuss about it but perhaps this was a special case.

“Lazytown is always nice to visit.” Ithrotaalfurin agreed, taking out a piece of paper to write to his son about a visit.

Once the letter was sent he joined his Fae on his cot, curling against his back and careful of the wings.


	2. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's winter in Lazytown!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't do this shit on purpose it just happens...

Ella was the first to greet the balloon, repeatedly signing ‘grandpabbi’ in her excitement. Her whole body was knitted around in purple and white, protecting her from the lightly falling snow. Ithrotaalfurin jumped right out of the balloon while it was still in the air to meet her, pulling her into a strong hug.

“You’re already taller than me! What have you eaten to grow so big?”

The girl huffed out a laugh and signed, **Everyone is taller than you.**

The Elf barked out a laugh of his own, not bothered at all about the drag. He was glad his granddaughter had the gift of sharp wit. It was a rare talent.

“Where are your fathers?” He asked her, glancing back to see if Glanni needed help tethering the balloon.

Ella’s smile dropped slightly. **Papa’s asleep. Pabbi’s helping Uncle Bobby.**

“Why? What happened to Bobby?”

The young Drideress crossed her arms and blew a very odd noise out through her nose. **No one tells me.**

Well, that made the Elf aware that the situation was probably extremely serious, possibly even dire. He moved to get the balloon grounded since Glanni seemed better suited to simply arguing with it.

Ella disappeared into the den, coming out after a moment followed by a drowsy Robbie wearing blue legwarmers and a sweater. His fur was much poofier than it usually was. The Drider looked between the Elf and the Fae, confusion clear on his face. 

“The sun is up. Why are you waking me up? Go away, Sportanerd isn’t here.” He gruffed at the visitors. 

“We know!” Glanni chirped with a falsely cheerful tone. “We just like pissing you off.”

Ella snorted at the warning glare her father sent the Fae. Ithrotaalfurin just sighed and scratched at his goatee for a moment before asking where Bobby lived.

“Just walk right into town. Ask around. You’ll find the medical tent.” Robbie explained, coming to terms with the fact that he was going to be awake until tomorrow. “Take Ella with you.”

Ella was happy to be included in what was going on. Visits from her grandpabbi had become fewer and farther between as she had grown up. She had also grown to like Glanni over time, having to get used to his crudeness but eventually finding him amusing.

There turned out to be a very obvious medical tent near the butcher shop. Not close enough to cross contaminate, but just at a safe distance. 

“Guess they couldn’t fit his giant spider ass in the real hospital.” Glanni supplied despite the fact the situation was a bit serious for making jokes.

“Be nice.” Ithrotaalfurn reminded as he watched the young Drider trot over to the tent to see her uncle.

Sportacus left the tent just as Ella entered, wiping black blood from his hands. Part of it had dried, causing him to look ink-stained nearly up to his elbows. When he noticed his father and the Fae he forced a smile.

“Pabbi! Glanni. I didn’t know you were coming.” The younger Elf called, handing the towel and settling his hands on his hips.

“I did send a letter.” The older Elf pointed out, but realized it was short notice regardless and his son had clearly been busy. “What happened to Bobby?”

Sportacus’s smile dropped, all pretence of a good mood gone and melted into clear worry. “He… let Fawn kill him.” He said softly, then quickly added. “She didn’t though. I mean… She almost did but she stopped herself. Lucky for him she’s got five legs and no fangs.”

There was a silence that followed that statement. If any luck, the absence of limbs was bad luck. Still, Bobby would live and that at least was a good thing.

“She does know ‘eating out’ isn’t a literal thing, right?” Glanni asked, breaking the silence.

Despite nothing being funny, Ithrotaalfurin let out his own startled laughter. Sportacus just looked dissapointed in both of them. It was then that Stephanie stepped out of the tent, not as blood-drenched as her mentor had been but having obviously helped.

“What’s funny?” She asked, confused about how the men could be so gleeful given what was going on. “Actually, don’t tell me if it's because of Glanni. I’m going to go check on Fawn. She was crying last time.”

“Bye bye Stephanie!” Ithrotaalfurin called to her at the same time Sportacus reminded her to take the Drider woman something to eat.

The small trio took a moment to catch up with each other. Ithrotaalfurin had left Mayhemtown to be a purely nomadic hero, occasionally visiting the Queen to report to her the state of things. He also had a higher rank among the Numbered seeing as he had worked against the problem instead of accepting it as just the way things were. 

Sportacus was also offered higher rank, but he declined. Sportacus was happy being a one-town hero. He just wanted to make sure Stephanie was properly trained and then he would retired to be with his family while he could.

Glanni admitted he had been on an entrepreneurial tour, though he didn’t say exactly what it was. That almost certainly meant he was doing something that was just on the border of being illegal. He did mention that it involved jewelry, so either he was stealing or selling fakes for an unreasonable price.

Ithrotaalfurin warned him that he would have to interfere if anybody got hurt. Glanni assured him that his work was harmless. This time. For now.

Tobby and Flobby vacated the tent with Ella, who was quietly crying. The lead her back to her father and grandfather who immediately began trying to comfort her, assuring her that her uncle would be fine.

Now alone and curious, Glanni snuck into the tent to have a look. Bobby was barely conscious, covered in angry lacerations. The worst of which were the claw marks across his face. Three of his legs were broken and one was missing. Glanni emitted a low whistle, drawing the injured Drider’s attention.

Bobby looked over, making a pained noise in the back of his throat but too lost on pain medications that he wasn’t lucid enough to make words at the moment.

“You look like shit, honey.” The Fae stated. “Girl has five legs. What, did you not fight back?”

Bobby shrugged and shook his head, blinking slowly against the lights. “Want her… to be… happy…” The Drider reported, struggling to get what he wanted to say from his brain to his mouth.

Glanni scoffed, leaving the tent as he suddenly had too much on his mind.


	3. Cake on the Roof

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flying is probably fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the places I used to work had natural raspberry doughnuts and I loved them but they were risky to eat because sometimes cinnamon was in the shakebag too and I'm allergic to cinnamon. Fuck cinnamon.

Unsure of what else to do, Glanni decided to go for a quick fly to clear his head. The quick flight turned into a long one as his mind just kept racing. He couldn’t imagine being so attached to someone that he would let them kill him. Sure, it was a Drider thing. Nature was nature. It still seemed like too big of a sacrifice.

He flew upward as far as he could go before the altitude bothered his head, which turned out to be only a few meters higher than the idling airship. He hovered for a while, letting the winds move him around as they saw fit. Thermals kept him airborne as long as he held his wings rigid, so he didn’t have to waste energy with flapping.

His brain kept circling around to the injured Drider. He didn’t know Bobby very well. He certainly didn’t know him well enough to care. It was just the fact that he had evidently ignored basic survival instinct to make his mate happy. To Glanni that just seemed incredibly stupid.

Glanni was happy to not care for anyone nearly that much. Or at all. This day was just further proof caring lead to pain and the Fae wanted no part of that.

Did anyone care for him that much? Maybe the Elf, but there was no guarantee of that. They were friends that occasionally slept together. Glanni had plenty of those, and they in turn had plenty of their own friends that they slept with which made up an entire complicated and discreet network of beneficial friends.

His amount of recurring ‘friends’ were lower now of course. If ever he wanted someone familiar he went to Ithrotaalfurin more often than anyone else. Anyone else seemed like they just wanted to own him.

He already had enough to worry about without this new crisis. He still needed to figure out what to do about _her._ Eventually she would find him if she really wanted to.

Taking a breath, he folded his wings, hindwings over forewings tucked close to his back as he gladly slipped into a freefall. Wind thundered deafeningly past his ears. He closed his eyes. Blessed adrenaline took over, clearing his mind of the thoughts that had been plaguing him.

He gave himself a long moment before he slowly unfolded his wings again. If he let them open all at once the force of the wind would snap the quills so he had to do it gradually. He managed to get them open once he was about twenty feet from the ground, coasting for a moment before touching down.

He decided to see what the bakery had to offer. The cakes in the window looked nice, but displays were often stale in his experience. He usually prefered candy anyway.

The door opened with a jingle and the Fae had to give himself a second to adjust to the sudden warmth. He then noticed a young man wiping down counters. He was blonde and a bit chubby, apparently never having grown out of his baby fat. A superhero logo was peeking out from where his apron covered his shirt.

“Hey Mr. Glaepur! Long time no see.” He wiped his hands and put on mitts to take a cookie tray out of the oven, moving it to a rack. “I’ll be with you in a second. There’s a free sample at the window.”

Well, Glanni was never one to turn away anything free. He found the bowl labeled ‘TRY ONE!’ easily. It was filled with miniature doughnuts dusted in a pink powder. He discovered after biting into one that the powder was raspberry sugar. It was void of the odd sour flavor that usually came from raspberry which he wondered about.

“How did you get them this sweet, Zig?” He called.

“I uh… tried making naturally flavored sugar instead of buying it. Why? It’s not bad is it?” Came the reply as Ziggy returned to the front counter, his hands damp from being freshly washed.

“No, these are pretty good. You’ve almost made Faerie Food.”

Ziggy chuckled and Glanni told him what he wanted. He ended up with a box of cupcakes, four bags of pistachio brittle, a bouquet of lollipops, and he also took the bowl of doughnuts and a cream horn from a display while the baker wasn’t watching him.

He took his haul to the roof of Town Hall, stuffing half of the cream horn in his mouth all at once. He settled on watching the people that were out and about. Most were indoors enjoying the warmth, working, or fussing over the injured. Those who _were_ outside were busy playing. 

A snowball fight had broken out among the younger children versus two of the twenty-somethings, Trixie and Jives. The children were winning. Or the young adults were letting them win. Either way, Jives was nearly buried and the numbers were unfair to begin with.

Glanni finished off the cream horn and started on the miniature doughnuts he had stolen, wanting to get through those while they were still slightly warm. He wasn’t sure how long he stayed up on the roof eating confectionery, but his wings were on the verge of freezing by the time he got through the cupcakes.

The Fae flinched as a heavy blanket dropped onto him, shocking him out of his spacing out as he noticed Ithrotaalfurin had no doubt climbed the building to find him.

“You’ll get frostbite up here.” The Elf scolded, though there was a smile on his face.

“Don’t you lecture me. At least I’m wearing sleeves.” Glanni scoffed.

“A leather bodysuit is not a coat. At least my shirt is wool. Bessie invited us in if you want to get out of the snow.” Ithrotaalfurin reported. “Or you can stay out here under a blanket. Up to you.”

With that, the Elf jumped right off the roof. Glanni watched him jog away for a second before wrapping the blanket tighter around his shoulders and tucking the rest of his snacks under his arm. He had to bunch up the back of the blanket to free his wings and fly down, but quickly covered them again once he was on the ground.


	4. Mindless Activities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which sex is yet another tool Glanni uses to run from his thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was just going to write two main stories, then Glanni happened.
> 
> I wasn't going to write porn in the main storyline, then Glanni happened.
> 
> I wasn't going to write porn until later in this storyline, then Glanni happened.
> 
> I vagued it because I'm easing into writing nsfw but it'll get more detailed later on because since Glanni's a main character now I'll probably get used to it real quick.

Willow and Bessie were around to greet the Elf and Fae, hot cocoa already prepared. It was sugar-free since Bessie was aware of her Elf visitor, so Glanni compensated by stirring his with one of the lollipops he had gotten from Ziggy. Milford had gone to bed already.

“You got a new door.” Ithrotaalfurin voiced his observation.

“Why yes, I did! Willow couldn’t fit through the old one and I do enjoy her company. We couldn’t just visit in the yard every time. Especially not with it this cold out!” Bessie explained with a wave of her hand.

Willow nodded in agreement over her mug which she held with sleeve-covered hands. Despite it being warmer indoors, she was still wearing a very large hoodie. The conversation went on and Glanni let himself zone out since it wasn’t about him. He ended up staring at a point somewhere beyond Ithrotaalfurin’s left boot.

He wasn’t sure when, but Glanni must have fallen asleep because he woke up curled up in the chair under a blanket. Scanning the room he noticed the Elf on the couch across from him. His head was thrown back, mouth open and snoring softly. His hat was bunched up halfway under his waist.

Glanni got up from the chair, a little unsteady as it rocked a bit. He took his boots off and crossed the room silently. He hopped onto the couch, waking the Elf in the process. The Fae really didn’t care if Ithrotaalfurin was asleep or awake, he just knew he hated sleeping alone. It was too cold, for one.

“What’re you doin?” The Elf slurred, not fully awake.

“I’m getting comfortable. Don’t ask stupid questions.” Glanni replied, settling on top of the Elf and tucking his head under the other’s chin.

Ithrotaalfurin sighed and went back to sleep easily enough despite the weight on his chest. Glanni took longer to go back to sleep, his mind beginning to race again. It was annoying and it was too cold to fly it out of his head with the sun down. He pushed himself up just enough to see Ithrotaalfurin’s face properly and raised a hand to tap his nose.

“Hey.” He whispered, sitting up when the Elf blinked at him. “I’m bored.”

“If you’re bored then go back to sleep.” The Elf gruffed, laying an arm over his eyes.

Instead of doing what he was told, Glanni scooted back just enough so that he was sitting on the Elf’s crotch and bounced slightly.

“We are in Bessie’s house.” Ithrotaalfurin reminded, removing his arm to scowl at the other, who only grinned and continued teasing. “We can’t have sex here.”

“Well not with _that_ attitude. I’ll be quiet.” The Fae promised, “Come on, I don’t want to think anymore.”

“You and I both know you have no talent for quiet.” The Elf scolded, sitting up. 

Glanni just snorted and began unzipping himself from his leather jumpsuit that was honestly too hot for how warm it was in the house anyway. Outside on a cool day, leather was fine, but indoors it was hardly a breathable material. He was pleased when the Elf’s hands found his hips easily.

“Okay, but one sound out of you and I’m stopping.” Ithrotaalfurin warned. “I’m not waking up the whole town just because you can’t sleep.”

Glanni nodded, miming zipping his lips as the Elf helped him the rest of the way out of his catsuit. Glanni in turn was very enthusiastic about getting the blue shirt separated from the shorter man.

The two grinded into each other through the few layers that were Glanni’s underwear and Ithrotaalfurin’s pants. Glanni was already hard but the Elf needed encouragement that the Fae was all too happy to give. He moved downward, unbuckling the Elf’s belt and undoing the front of his pants, taking care of button and zipper with his teeth.

Ithrotaalfurin gasped as Glanni mouthed at his cock through the thin fabric, leaving lipstick stains behind before pulling the boxer briefs down just enough to free the other’s rapidly growing shaft. The Fae swallowed him down with practiced ease. The Elf’s hand instinctively with to the other’s hair, too short to grab hold of but nice to pet.

Once satisfied that he had the hero interested Glanni pulled back and flicked his wrist in the direction of his boots, which walked themselves over at his wordless command. They stopped at the edge of the couch, close enough for the Fae to reach into one and pull out a condom and a small bottle of lube. He handed both to the Elf and shifted off of him to lean forward against the back of the couch, his knees planted on the cushion.

Ithrotaalfurin left him for a moment to search for a towel. Just because the criminal had no regard for other people’s furniture did not mean the Elf was likewise inconsiderate. He returned quickly after raiding the bathroom cabinet, glad that Glanni had no protests to being moved so he could lay the towel down.

The Elf also took a moment to heal what he could of the bruises and bitemarks littering the other’s skin, erasing the evidence of other unknown partners. He had every intention of replacing them with his own marks. Glanni was with him, at least for now. Nobody else was important. 

Preparation took a bit longer than it really needed to in Glanni’s opinion. He kept himself ready for anything and foreplay wasn’t really one of his strong suits. Normally he would be the first to rush things but Ithrotaalfurin seemed to be the one exception to everything as far as the criminal was concerned.

Everything was slower than Glanni was used to with the Elf. With any other lover things were always rough and quick but the hero took the time to make sure the Fae was alright. Maybe that was why he found himself always returning to the Elf. 

Glanni had grown a taste for the tender way Ithrotaalfurin pressed into him, hands already knowing his body well after years of mapping him out and content to just hold him instead of feverishly grabbing. The Elf was happy to give and expecting nothing in return, expressing physically what he knew he could probably never express verbally for fear that it would be too much to ask. He knew the criminal would only run from him if he ever put it into words.

Of course, this time he had a hand over the Fae’s mouth because silence was impossible for Glanni and they both knew it. Even muffled, they were relying on the hope that the others in the house were heavy sleepers.

Well… Ithrotaalfurin hoped they were heavy sleepers. Glanni didn’t really care if he was heard or not.


	5. Sharp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glanni's thoughts wander and for once he lets them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not good at subtle. I either go blunt or I hint so small that I don't even know if it gets across at all but I tried.

Ithrotaalfurin and Glanni stayed just long enough to have breakfast with the Meanswell-Busybodys. Milford was strangely quiet, barely touching his blueberry pancakes. Glanni just grinned into his mug of coffee, amused by the situation everyone else was trying to ignore. Or completely ignorant of, in Bessie’s case. Clearly the woman could sleep though a tornado.

Ithrotaalfurin wanted to take a moment to check on Bobby before leaving town again, having healed what he could the day before. He mainly wanted to get the Drider settled back into his and Fawn’s shared den. He needed to make sure they would be alright together now that the eggs were laid and instinct to kill had faded. Thankfully, Fawn was completely lucid by that time and contact between the two was safe again. 

Bobby would have scars for the rest of his life, one eye had been blinded, and a few of his legs were crooked, but otherwise he was healthy. Once he had time to rest he would probably be right back to his talkative self. He seemed more concerned about Fawn and their eggs than anything else.

Glanni avoided the situation. It had already occupied too much space in his mind and he didn’t feel like having any more of an existential crisis at ten o’clock in the morning. Instead of dealing with an emotional family of Driders, he went back to the bakery, silencing the bell on his way in to avoid alerting the baker. He was glad to see a brand new bowl of raspberry doughnuts set out as samples. Again he took the entire bowl and left before Ziggy could catch him and protest.

The Fae returned to the balloon, knowing that it would no doubt be time to leave soon. Sure, he could fly away any time he wanted, but the less magic he could spend on keeping his wings warm the better. For the time being, he preferred to keep them covered. Even going so far as to have stolen one of Bessie’s fancy, fuzzy bathrobes to wear over his catsuit. It was the pink one that had silk flowers sewn into the trim. He complimented it enough she really should have guarded it better if she wanted to keep it. It was Glanni’s now in any case. 

The doughnuts were gone by the time Ithrotaalfurin found him on the cot in the balloon, already ready to go. 

“Sportacus got a letter from Officer Obtuse. Apparently help is needed in Eroticity.” Ithrotaalfurin reported, holding up the letter in question.

“Ooh, that’s fun! I’ve been meaning to visit again.” Glanni purred, taking the letter to read it himself.

“I’ve never been.” The Elf admitted. “Maybe you can show me around?”

“Maybe… If you can handle it. It’s a racy place. Why does he need help?”

“The letter doesn’t say and I’m sure I can manage.” 

Glanni snorted, amusement showing in the flutter of his wings. “We’ll see. Set a course for Fuck City!” The Fae kicked a leg into the air and flopped onto his side.

His theatrics got a chuckle out of the Elf, who shook his head. Ithrotaalfurin set to work freeing the balloon from its tethers.

“That’s not what it’s called and you can return Bessie’s robe when we get back back.”

“You can fuck off. It’s mine now.” Glanni retorted, “I rubbed my face on it already.”

“That hardly solidifies ownership.”

The Fae rolled his eyes and reached under the cot, feeling around before he found the small travel makeup kit he kept in the balloon. He figured he may as well fix his face before the balloon got high enough to find any turbulence. Not that his face wasn’t just as nice when it was free of the cosmetics, but a fresh coat of paint was always nice to look at. It also felt like armor to him in some respects; A mask of sorts, or occasionally a weapon.

He _had_ a real weapon in one of his boots. The right boot was for extracurriculars but the left had a small sheath for a knife. He barely used it as the weapon it was. He hardly needed to. His words were sharper and usually plenty to avoid a fight. 

He took out the knife and took off the robe, cutting slits into the back for his wings. The Elf protested the alteration, but went ignored as Glanni slipped the robe back on.

The last time he had used it was to challenge and eventually replace the head of the Mayhemtown gang, which had been easily beaten. It was one of the few fair fights he had been in. He felt it necessary to leave magic out of it just that once. Taking the gang without his usual tricks almost felt like establishing his own Court. Granted it was a small Court and littered with humans, but still his.

The gang had been without Glanni for a week now. He wondered what they were up to. It never took them long to begin infighting if he wasn’t there to break it up. They were more trouble than they were worth sometimes. Stupid. Dull. Slow in all senses. They were useful in the fact they were able to follow directions well, but left to their own devices it was a wonder they hadn’t killed each other.

It was mildly upsetting to the Fae that he could barely get a few adults in proper order. How was he supposed to take care of anything else? Why would he _want_ to? He had enough on his hands without worrying about an accident.

Ithrotaalfurin watched Glanni fix his makeup, recognizing when his focus shifted inward by the tilt of his wings. It was a wonder how he could still paint his face flawlessly while he was thinking so deeply. It was admirable, in a way, how one could display how much was on their mind without letting a single detail in his handiwork fall short of its usual quality

The Elf decided not to bother him, wondering about it but knowing better than to ask.


	6. Culture Shock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys arrive in Eroticity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Officer do you know how fast you were going?"

Upon reaching the city they were called to, Glanni went ahead and hid his wings in a simple glamour. The Elf could still sort of see them, but only because he already knew they were there. That was how that type of glamour worked. It took little effort and just made it so that those that didn’t know would just continue to not notice.

Ithrotaalfurin wasn’t sure if he had landed his balloon in Eroticity or a separate plane of existence entirely. Everyone seemed to be clad in leather or latex, some of them with far more belts than was necessary. A few wore masks. Glanni’s catsuit almost looked tame here.

What really got the hero’s attention was a carriage that passed by. Viewing it from the front at a distance, he had innocently assumed it was pulled by horses. As it got closer he was appalled to realize the horses were actually four people in suits not unlike his companion’. They were trussed up in harnesses and faces hidden by admittedly beautifully crafted masks.

The carriage was empty aside from the driver until Glanni called for it to stop and hopped right in before the Elf could stop him. He reluctantly followed Glanni in boarding the unconventional transportation.

“Doris! How are your kids?” Glanni asked the driver, who was an older woman with a few grey hairs showing under her sunhat.

Doris smiled wide. “A lot better behaved now that they think I’m dyin’. You haven’t aged a day. Where’ve you been?”

“A little of everywhere.” The Fae answered vaguely. “We need to get to The Crown and then I need to untack one of your Ponies.”

“Why?” Ithrotaalfurin blurted out, wondering what on earth the Fae could possibly want from one of the false horses.

Glanni shrugged. “He’s who we’re looking for.”

“You can’t even see his face.” The hero pointed out as the carriage started moving.

“Glanni knows asses.” Doris offered with a shrug.

Glanni just smiled smugly from his seat. Ithrotaalfurin shook his head and decided to watch the city pass from his side of the carriage. The further they went the stranger it got. It took him a moment to recognize a theme and found himself growing somewhat discomfited by it. He supposed he would get used to it if they had to spend more than a day here.

The Crown only took ten minutes to get to and for once Glanni actually paid the fare for the ride. He checked again with Doris that it was alright for him to mess with one of the Ponies before unhitching the one nearest the carriage on the left. After Doris, he also checked with the false horse, who stomped three times very deliberately.

“That’s right. You’ve got a bit in your mask, don’t you?” Glanni asked.

The Pony nodded and leaned forward to let the Fae unbuckle the mask. Ithrotaalfurin nearly choked on his own saliva when he recognized the face revealed was that of the former officer of Mayhemtown. Glanni was not nearly as surprised, having already known.

“Traded the cane for a crop?” Glanni asked Oliver Obtuse, who nervously grinned and shrugged.

“I like the kind of attention I get.” 

Glanni nodded understandingly. Ithrotaalfurin was still trying to get this new information to process in his brain. Doris set to work freeing the rest of the Ponies, two other men and a woman, and began handing out water bottles. They had to stop to let Oliver talk so it only made sense to take a full break.

“Where do you even get these suits? They look way more breathable than mine.” Glanni asked, picking at the material on the former officer’s shoulder.

Preferring to get to the point, Ithrotaalfurin went ahead and asked. “What did you need help with? My son got your letter.”

“Oh! Um… There have been a few people that have gone missing.” Oliver reported, fidgeting at his harness.

“Are you sure they’re not just in a dungeon?” Glanni asked.

“Dungeon?” Ithrotaalfurin echoed quietly, though he was ignored.

“I asked all the Master’s I know of. Not even The Chief knows where they went.”

Glanni frowned. “The Chief knows everything.”

“I know!” Oliver agreed.

“Who’s The Chief?” The hero asked Doris, since his mate and the officer were ignoring him.

Doris thankfully took mercy on him and explained that The Chief was the owner of Blush which was one of the local bars and had ears everywhere. He was the main gossip of the town, but always had accurate information. It reminded him of Bessie and he wondered if The Chief was also constantly on the phone, or if this place was more reliant on word-of-mouth. He was glad to have something familiar and mundane to focus on. He could almost ignore the fact the woman explaining it to him was braiding another woman’s tail.

The carriage was chained to an odd rack that seemed built for it and everyone went inside to get out of the sun. In Glanni’s case it was because it was where he meant to be in the first place. 

The Crown turned out to be some sort of coffee shop. It had cream walls and dimmed lighting. The lights were brighter at the stage area at one side where Ithrotaalfurin would have assumed to be for a live band if this had been an average town. It was empty for now and he decided that was probably for the best.

Oliver passed the Elf a few black and white pictures of the missing people, which Ithrotaalfurin studied closely. They were all young men as far as he could tell, blonde and lean. There was a clear type among those that had gone missing, suggesting that they were being taken. He passed them to Glanni, who crinkled his nose at them.

“They all look like your kid.” The Fae pointed out. 

“I noticed.” Ithrotaalfurin confirmed with a sigh. “At least it’s a local thing.”


	7. Said Too Much

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ithro hits his breaking point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Noooooo ooooone's sad like Ithro!  
> No one's mad like Ithro!  
> No one yells at his Fae about love like Ithro!  
> HE'S ESSPECIALLY GOOD AT INTERNALIZING!!  
> MY WHAT A GUY THAT ITHROOOO~!!!

The Ponies and Driver had already finished their break and gone, leaving Ithrotaalfurin and Glanni alone at the bar. The barista finally showed after a few minutes, apologizing with the explanation that his only coworker for the shift hadn’t shown up. He was a lanky blonde man with red streaks dyed into his hair and several piercings.

“Lucky it’s a slow day, huh?” Glanni said, leaning forward and settling his weight on his arm on the bar.

“Yeah. Nothing special is scheduled until later. Like, an hour I think.” He shrugged. “I’m Greg by the way.”

“I noticed the name tag.” Glanni pointed to the tag mentioned. “You’re too cute for a Greg…”

“What’s scheduled?” Ithrotaalfurin asked, jumping into the conversation suddenly.

“Either a Rope Bunny or a Show Dogs thing. I’m not actually sure.” Gregory admitted. “I didn’t actually read the email.”

“Nobody reads emails sweetheart.” Glanni chuckled far too sweetly to be innocent.

“Are those bands?” The Elf continued to try to keep up with the other two.

Greg just looked at him oddly and Glanni waved his hand dismissively. “Excuse him. He’s vanilla.”

Ithrotaalfurin wasn’t sure if ‘vanilla’ was meant to be an insult or not but he felt vastly uneducated now. Deciding to pick his battles, he gave up on trying to stop any chemistry happening between _his_ Fae and the barista and actually took the time to read the menu on the chalkboard.

A few minutes later Ithrotaalfurin hadn’t even been asked what he wanted which was a shame considering the fact that there were vegan options. He had been ignored in favor of Greg and Glanni wandering off to the bathroom together. He wasn’t sure what bothered him more; The fact he had been invited, or the fact he hadn’t taken the invitation and was now aware of how thin the walls in the building were. Either way he was alone now having to watch a man wheel a rack onto the stage and clean it for whatever it was going to be used for while he waited for Glanni to finish up. All Ithrotaalfurin wanted to do was leave.

Within the hour, the Elf had to sit through the cafe suddenly growing crowded as a woman began tying another onto the rack on the stage. He was just becoming increasingly uncomfortable and perhaps a bit angry. He sincerely hoped Glanni was having a good time and that Greg would be fired. He left by himself, taking another carriage back to his grounded balloon.

He set out his cot, but he couldn’t sleep. Instead he occupied himself with mapping the stars as the sky darkened enough for them to appear. They were drowned out by the lights of the city not long after which was disappointing, but not unexpected.

With a lack of anything else to do he stood from his cot and began going through stretches as he tried focusing on making a plan. He would need to talk to the missing persons’ families and check the police report if there was one and if he was permitted to view it. If The Chief knew everything then he would also find out who he was and talk to him. Oliver would be important to stay in contact with even though he was no longer an officer. Doris seemed like a pleasant enough woman so he would also be sure to learn about the city itself from her since it was like no place he had ever been before. He could ask Glanni to explain but the Fae seemed interested in everything besides him since they landed.

“You’re drawing a crowd, honey.” Came Glanni’s voice as if the mere thought of him was enough to summon him.

Ithrotaalfurin jumped away, startled, and was drawn out of his thoughts to realize that there was indeed a small group of people watching him train.

“Keep it up. They might throw you money!” Glanni continued, seating himself on the edge of the basket.

“Four hours.” The Elf huffed, low and irritated. “I have been here, waiting for you, for _four hours._ ”

Glanni raised a brow. “I never said you had to wait for me. You’re a big boy. You can do whatever you want without me.”

“What even takes four hours?” Ithrotaalfurin went on.

“You were gone when I came back so I stayed for the show.”

“Right. The show. Where they tie some poor girl up and-”

“She _likes_ to be tied.” The Fae interrupted but by now the Elf was in full rant mode.

“-and I only came here because Oliver said help was needed. This whole city needs help if this is the norm here. Everything is confusing and _wrong_ and I don’t want to be here anymore but I have to stay because people need help and you’re actually staying for a while. I’d like to see you for more than a week, but I still end up waiting for hours because you find someone else while I’m _right here_. I haven’t just been waiting hours, I’ve been waiting for years and I don’t know you any better than I did before and I _want_ to. You made such a big effort to get me to understand you at first but after that you run away from anything I do and it’s been over a decade. Am I just convenient to you? Is this just a long con?”

Glanni shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t like conflict despite his profession and the crowd wasn’t helping anything. Growling, he turned to the strangers.

“What the _fuck_ are you looking at?” He shouted, and the people wisely cleared out. 

Ithrotaalfurin slumped against his cot instead of sitting on it, face obscured by a hand. “I understand you need others, especially if this city is the sort of thing you need. I can’t keep up. I don’t understand it and I can try to learn but I don’t think I’ll be able to do any of it.”

“I don’t want you to try it if you don’t want to.” Glanni assured. “You don’t shove rabbit food down my throat. I’m not going to try putting a collar around yours.”

“Then what _do_ you want from me? You’re only ever with me a few days out of a month at most and then you leave and when you come back I never have any idea where you’ve been or who you’ve been with. I have to look through every newspaper I can get my hands on to make sure you’re not on a wanted list or in jail or in the fucking obituaries. Is this where you always go?”

Glanni flinched slightly, unused to hearing foul language from the Elf and troubled that the hero’s voice was growing in volume. “You wanted to take me back to jail as soon as you met me. Why care if I put myself there?”

“Because I care about _you!_ I hate having to worry and wonder where you are but I can’t help it because I need to know you’re safe. For Gods’ sake _I love you._ ” Ithrotaalfurin realized he was yelling and silenced himself, immediately wishing he could take back the last statement.

“You…” Glanni shifted again. “Yeah.” He stood and took a step to the side, unsure of what to do now. “Okay.”

He let the tears he had been holding back finally fall. They had had a balance before, unspoken rules set to avoid this and Ithrotaalfurin had broken the most important one. The Elf fully expected Glanni to walk away, but that didn’t make it hurt any less when he did.


	8. A Night at the Bar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glanni drinks and eats his feelings. The Chief is a good friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't drink two and a half bottles of vodka. Don't even drink a whole bottle. Not in one sitting at least.   
> Glanni is not human, he can handle it.
> 
> Also I have never touched alcohol so I'm guessing on it based on how I get after too much nyquil because my sister said it's close enough.

Glanni spent the rest of his night at Blush, glaring passively into a bowl of cherries that he had poured several shots of marshmallow vodka into. At first it had been a creative decision but after a while it had just become a mess. When the alcohol ran low he would pour another shot in. When the cherries ran out he would ask for more.

“You’ve had seven jars of cherries and your liver is definitely dead. I can’t watch this anymore, what happened?” Asked the stocky man behind the counter, slowly pulling the bowl away.

Glanni pulled the bowl back. “Who said something happened, Chief?”

“Your face said so.”

Glanni grunted noncommittally and ate another cherry. 

The Chief took the bowl again, earning an enraged glare. “You’re gonna have to talk to me.”

“Why should I?”

“Because I closed up an hour ago. We’re the only ones here. You’re going to have to talk to somebody eventually and it may as well be me.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” Glanni huffed. “Give me back the damn bowl. I need it.”

“You need water and sleep.”

“I’m not even slurring!” Glanni protested.

“Maybe not yet but I know you. In about,” Chief paused to lean over and check the clock. “Say, twenty minutes you’re going to get mad and maybe five minutes after that you’ll start crying about something and then you’ll either end up sleeping on my couch or get picked up by some random. Actually it might go faster since you’ve cleared two and a half bottles. Do you want me to call the hospital? You’ve had enough vodka to kill a normal person twice.”

Glanni responded by shoving a few more liquor-bloated cherries into his mouth. The Chief sighed and went through the building, turning off the lights as he went before making his way back to Glanni and taking the bowl away once again.

“You bring that back here fuckass, I’m not done with it.” He barked, prompting a chuckle from the other.

“And the anger starts early.” He teased, dumping the contents of the bowl into one of the empty cherry jars and then rinsing it out.

“If you want to hurt me you could just use that flogger on your belt. There’s no need to take my last shred of joy” Glanni hissed, reaching for the jar.

The Chief slapped his hand away. “I’m saving them for you if you want them later but right now you’re going to drink some water. You can do it yourself or I can go get the funnel. You’re too drunk for the flogger anyway.”

“You… Y-you’re... Fuck you and your stupid funnel.” Came the increasingly less intelligent retort as the high level of alcohol began affecting the Fae all at once.

The Chief just poured a glass of water and set it in front of Glanni. “Just drink it. I really don’t feel like waterboarding you at four in the morning.”

Glanni looked at the glass, considering it for a moment. He then decided to push it off of the counter with his middle finger before the Chief could stop him. The sound of shattering glass rang out against the otherwise calm ambiance. The Chief pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a deep sigh.

“Why?” He asked after a moment.

“Because fuck you.” Glanni spat. “And fuck the stupid hero for putting even more on my mind when I already have enough and fuck my gang that I have to keep from killing each other and fuck Patricia for lying to me about fucking birth control and I can’t…” He paused, fighting the tears that had begun to sting his eyes. “He said he loves me.”

“So? A lot of people have told you that. You never gave a shit before.”

“This one means it… He means it and I guess I already knew it but now he’s fucking said it and he may as well have asked to fucking _marry_ me because he’s going to mean it until one of us dies.”

“That seems a little extreme.”

“He _is_ extreme.” Glanni groaned and dropped his head to the counter with a loud thud before he fell into sobs, rage fading into despair just as his friend had predicted.

The Chief set another glass of water in front of him. “If you push that one on the floor too I’m making you clean it up.”

Glanni glared at the glass, then took a quick glance at the funnel displayed on the wall. Deciding he didn’t want to find out if the earlier threat had been serious, he took a small sip, glad when The Chief smiled and left him alone so he could get a broom to sweep up the broken glass. He poured the rest of the water down the sink while the other couldn’t see him and then left the bar. He knew if he stayed any longer he would probably end up carried home by his friend and for once he didn’t feel like going home with anyone.

He walked around the city for a while, letting his legs take him wherever they saw fit since his mind was too fuzzy to make sense of the streets. He wasn’t even surprised when he eventually wound up back at the balloon, unsure if he was relieved or angry that the Elf had stayed. He was too tired and too intoxicated for it to matter as he climbed up and over the basket, shoving his way onto the cot and burying his face against the other’s back.

“I can’t be a fuckin’ father.” He slurred before falling unconscious, unaware the Elf was awake and could hear him.

Ithrotaalfurin decided he could ask later. For now he was just glad Glanni had come back.


	9. Hangover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glanni continues to be a little shit since he is hungover and probably still a little drunk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glanni. Stop. Just... no.

Ithrotaalfurin let Glanni sleep the day away since he had arrived at five in the morning and had obviously spent the night awake. He had time to examine his partner for the first time since the day before, noticing a new bruise on his hand and who knows how many others out of sight. He healed what he could without waking the Fae, just as troubled by it as usual but glad that for once Glanni hadn’t returned to him smelling like someone else.

The scent of alcohol and sugar was concerning but not in the same way. He wondered if Glanni would wake up with a hangover. He had no idea what one was supposed to do about hangovers but he had heard coffee was often wanted. He had no desire to go back to the one cafe he knew of, but decided he may as well endure.

He was out of his comfort zone but now so was Glanni and everything had evened out he supposed. Not that he needed it to be even. The fact he had made the other uncomfortable bothered him immensely but he had meant every word of what he had said and they still needed to have a talk about it. They needed to have a real conversation and it was coming a decade late, but better late than never.

Ithrotaalfurin was happy to see Greg was not handling the counter of The Crown when he got there. He ordered a simple black coffee, grabbed a handful of sugar packets because he knew Fae biology required it, and left without having to deal with any more weirdness past the carriage he took to get there and a man being walked on a leash. Mornings seemed to be blessedly tamer than later in the day.

He was even happy to see Doris, who gave him a ride back to the balloon free of charge. It was a relief to him to have one familiar face that didn’t make him angry. Rationally he knew he had no reason to be upset with Gregory but he still took the opportunity to complain to the Driver, who was a surprisingly good listener. She also helped explain more to him, like the difference between a kink and a fetish, why some people like herself fell into the lifestyle, and why the city itself came into existence. It turned out to be a very educational carriage ride.

When they arrived at the balloon, Glanni was already out of it and sitting on the ground with his head in his hands, doing his best to hide in a shadow. He had the heels of his hands pressed into his eyes, no doubt trying to block out any light. His wings were not hidden at all, prompting a confused stare from the carriage Driver. Ithrotaalfurin hoped Doris and her Ponies would think the wings were costumery but then the Fae just had to ruin the possible explanation by moving them to give himself more shade. The Ponies all stared, a few of them making curious noises around their bits.

“Well…” Doris muttered. “That’s somethin’.”

Ithrotaalfurin took a moment to compose himself, then left the carriage to take the cup of coffee to the other, dropping the sugar packets into his lap.

“Go away.” Glanni gruffed angrily.

“It’s my balloon.” The Elf pointed out, largely aware that the carriage hadn’t moved on.

“Then I’ll go away…” Glanni took the coffee and started emptying all of the sugar into it, then stood. “Chief has my cherries.”

“... Is that a euphemism?” Ithrotaalfurn asked.

“No.” The Fae snapped at him, wobbling before taking a few steps.

Ithrotaalfurin stopped him with a hand to his arm, quickly severing the contact when Glanni flinched away from him. He backed off a step, away from the way the criminal’s eyes bored into him, like he had physically hurt him.

“We need to talk. Please?” The hero asked.

“I need to go.” Glanni replied. “I gotta… Chief…”

“I’ll take you both to go see The Chief, just fuckin’ stop dodging eachother.” Doris called from her seat.

“Lady’s got a whip. I guess we better listen to her.” Glanni sighed.

He absently petted one of the Ponies’ hair before boarding the carriage and flopping sideways onto the seat. Ithrotaalfurin took the coffee from him before he could spill it and sat on the floorboard. Glanni quickly sat up enough to take the coffee back, taking a long gulp and probably burning his mouth in the process. He then complained that it was too bitter and began tipping it over the side of the carriage.

“If you throw that on the ground I’m stopping this carriage and beating you.” Doris warned.

“Promise?” Glanni teased, but kept the coffee cup inside the vehicle. He then nudged the Elf with a boot. “You couldn’t get creamer?”

Ithrotaalfurin had to remind himself that Glanni was obviously hungover, in pain, having to focus his magic on hiding his wings, and most likely still uncomfortable considering last night’s conversation. He really could have handled that better, to be fair. It would have avoided the current predicament if he had just kept his mouth shut, but it had been festering in his heart for over ten years and he couldn’t hold it in anymore. Maybe now they could grow closer. Or maybe Glanni would leave him and this time he wouldn’t come back. Either way was probably healthier than the years of repression that they had been dealing with before.


	10. I Don't Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ithrotaalfurin and Glanni finally manage to get some talking done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's his seat.

The carriage arrived at Blush and Doris left them with the offer to stay with her if they were going to be staying in town for much longer. Glanni grunted his acknowledgement and wasted no time shoving past the door and right to the counter. He then climbed _over_ the bar to get to the man that owned the place, fisting his hand into the other’s leather vest.

“Where the fuck are my cherries?” Glanni asked, low and predatory.

The man, who Ithrotaalfurin could only assume was The Chief, slowly pried the pale fingers from his clothing. “You are _not_ getting drunk again before noon after the shit you were whining about last night. I’m not babysitting your skinny ass all day. You can have the cherries back when you calm down.”

Glanni let out some odd noise between anger and distress, then immediately winced as it upset the pounding in his head. “But I have _money!_ ”

“Then go to another bar.” Chief suggested with a shrug, leaving Glanni for a moment to talk to a more polite patron.

Glanni stomped a boot and started rooting around the shelves, deciding if he wasn’t given his leftover cherries then he would just have to make something else to eat and/or drink. Chief quickly pulled him away, hoisting the Fae onto his shoulder, asking why he was so light before setting him down in a stool on the proper side of the counter.

“I have hollow bones.” He answered dryly.

The Chief retrieved a jar of cherries floating in what he knew had to be some sort of alcohol. After refusing so adamantly just a moment before, it was surprising to Ithrotaalfurin when the jar was set down in front of the Fae. Glanni took a sip directly from the jar, made a face of disgust, and spat his mouthful back into the jar.

“That’s a fucking Shirley Temple.”

“I’m not giving you any more booze. After last night I’m surprised you’re not dead.”

“I’m going to fucking stab you.”

“You and I both know I’m not into that but I can introduce you to George.”

“George can bite me.”

“He’ll be happy to hear that. You know what? I have work to do. Get in the basement and stay there until you feel better.”

Glanni grumbled but complied with the order, taking the cherries and bar stool with him. Ithrotaalfurin noticed that it was the only stool that wasn’t nailed down and the few people in the bar seemed entirely unbothered by loud squeal of the legs dragging against the hard floor. The Elf stood to follow, but the Chief stopped him.

“You the guy he came in here crying about?”

“He cried?” Ithrotaalfurin asked. He had seen Glanni upset before but never to the point of tears. His heart dropped, feeling even worse. “Was he… okay?”

The chief raised a brow and let out an scoff. “That man hasn’t been okay since I met him. Go talk to him and try not to piss him off this time.”

The Elf gladly went, noting the sign on the basement door said ‘Please Disturb’. He took the stairs down three at a time and found himself in a dimly lit room. There was a dog crate in the corner, several strappy leather things hanging on the walls, and a layer of padding around the center support beam. There were several bean bags strewn about in a variety of bright colors that paradoxically seemed both out of place yet perfectly at home. Glanni was face down on the pink bean bag, the stolen bar stool laying near him on its side.

“Why did you take the stool?” Ithrotaalfurin asked once Glanni was in his sight.

“It’s my seat.” He answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He picked his head up to look at the Elf. “I suppose you still want to _talk_?”

“I think we really need to.” The Elf said, settling on the floor. “Chief said you cried.”

“Chief says a lot of things.”

“Um…” He began, trying to figure out what he should ask. _What do you want from me? Why do you waste your time visiting me when you’re clearly happier here? Why don't you just live here full time? What did you mean when you said you can’t be a father? Do you have children? Since when? I could help you if you let me, why don’t you let me help you? Why do you run from me? Do you even like me?_ Deciding quickly, he settled on; “Do you feel anything for me?”

Glanni rolled his eyes and put his head back down. “Maybe something, yeah.”

“Maybe?”

“I don’t know what I feel, alright?” Glanni turned on his side, pulling the bar stool closer to him and holding it closely like one would with a particularly clunky pillow. “You have an emotion and you always know what it is but it’s not that fucking simple for those of us that aren’t perfect.”

“I’m not perfect!” Ithrotaalfurin protested.

“Like hell you aren’t!”

“If I were _perfect_ I would know what to do to get through to you without you shutting me out. If I were _perfect_ I would be _enough!_ ”

“Nothing’s enough. I… I’m an addict. If it wasn’t sex, money, and sugar it would be liquor and drugs and sometimes it's one of those anyway. We’re all born alone. No matter how long we live we’re just going to die alone. There’s no reason for anything. I might as well have fun while I’m here.” Glanni explained quietly, reaching around the bar stool to get to the jar of cherries.

He couldn’t quite reach it, so Ithrotaalfurin nudged it closer to him. Glanni didn’t thank him, falling quiet as he opened the jar and drank from it. The smell of maraschino cherries mixed with whatever soda had been poured in with them almost immediately went to the Elf’s head, starting what he just knew would be a migraine later. He sighed heavily, not sure how he was supposed to make the Fae feel better without backtracking on any progress they had made with each other, if any.

Ithrotaalfurin decided to ask the next biggest question on his mind, “What did you mean when you said you can’t be a father?”

Glanni remained quiet for a while, emptying out the cherry jar in an attempt to keep his mouth full. Cherries only lasted so long, however, and Elves were notoriously patient.

“You were awake.”

“I didn’t fall asleep until you came back.”

Glanni sat up, letting the bar stool lay across his lap as he tapped the edge of the seat. “In Attitude City there’s a woman named Patricia. She told me she’s pregnant and that it’s mine. She had told me she was on birth control and it’s not like I’m the only man she’s been with but the timing checks out so it could be.”

“I was flying over Attitude City when you hid in my hat.” The Elf mused aloud. “That was why?”

“Yeah.” Glanni nodded. “I mean I know that's not the best way to handle the situation but how the fuck am I supposed to be any kind of role model for a kid. I’ve wrecked my own life enough.”

“Well if you think you shouldn’t be a father then maybe you shouldn’t. Like you said, maybe it isn’t yours.”

“If the kid pops out with wings I’ll have to do something. Patricia’s a Human. She won’t know what to do.”

“Then keep communication with her open. If she needs help she will ask.”

“So… Mister Morality says it’s okay to be a fucking deadbeat?”

“No.” Ithrotaalfurin shook his head and took a moment to think how best to word his thoughts. “I’m saying you should do what you can to help but not get involved too much if you think you would be bad for the kid.”

Glanni snorted. “I’m bad for everyone.”

“Not for me.” The Elf points out. “And I can’t lie.”

Glanni chuckled dryly, not buying it since opinions were a grey area between truth and lies. The statement was true to Ithrotaalfurin though, so the Fae supposed it was good enough. For now.


	11. Cool Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Careful what you wish for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They are still in Chief's basement.

The two men stayed in the basement in silence for a while. Glanni didn’t want to go anywhere in particular but he wasn’t leaving so Ithrotaalfurin stayed with him, picking out a space to exercise where he wasn’t in danger of hitting or being hit by anything. He had sat still for too long and just couldn’t do it anymore.

“Hey?” Glanni called, after the long silence, standing. “Are you alright?”

Ithrotaalfurin stopped his high kick, freezing with one leg in the air as Glanni came closer to him. He put his leg down, watching the other. He was surprised the Fae had asked such a question, unused to the other actually showing that he cared.

“Are you?” The Elf asked in return.

“I’m decent.” Glanni answered with a shrug.

“I can’t apologize for what I said but I am sorry that I made you uncomfortable for saying it.” 

“Just drop it.” The Fae said softly, pulling the Elf closer by his shirt. “I just want to stop thinking.”

Usually if Glanni said he didn’t want to think it was a precursor to sex but this time was different. Instead he just stood, doing his best to curl into the Elf’s chest even though he was a bit too tall. Ithrotaalfurin obliged the unsaid request and held him, rocking them both slowly. He never really knew what Glanni needed, the Fae determined to do anything important by himself. While he was prone to complaining he never really said what would help, only what was wrong.

“Are you mad at me for telling you that I love you?”

“No. I already knew.” Glanni responded, sounding tired. “I don’t know if I can… I’ve never been in love and I’m over two hundred. If I could love I’m sure it would have happened by now.”

“I wasn’t asking you to feel the same, just telling you how I feel. I don’t want you to feel trapped. I want you to to be happy but I wish I knew how to make you happy.”

At some point the gentle rocking had become swaying and was beginning to adhere to the tempo of the muffled music bleeding through the floor above them. They weren’t quite dancing but it was close enough. Glanni chuckled softly under his breath. At what, Ithrotaalfurin couldn’t be sure. He took a second look around the room.

“Is this the sort of thing that makes you happy?” The Elf asked.

“Some of it helps work stress out.” Glanni admitted.

“I could try something.” Ithrotaalfurin offered.

“You wouldn’t like it.”

“How will I know until I try?”

“You’ve been fidgety since we got here. It’s super obvious all of this shit bothers you.”

“It bothers me a little because I’m not used to sexual things being out in the open.” Ithrotaalfurin explained. “I think the carriage system is okay and the Ponies must be very strong.”

Glanni snorted at the mental image that gave him of the Elf. “Most of the Ponies aren’t sexual Pets. The ones that are don’t do anything outside of their own space or Doris’s stable. Which we’re going to stay in because I’m not staying in the balloon this whole time. I think Pet’s a little much for a beginner anyway.”

“Okay then… What do you think would be a good start?”

“I don’t know.” Glanni removed himself from the Elf’s arms and moved to the wall. He looked over the gear there, running a finger along a whip. “Right now I just want to hit something. We should probably wait to experiment.”

Ithrotaalfurin noticed what the Fae was focused on and cocked his head to the side curiously. “I can handle it. Elves are sturdy.”

“If you actually want to do this then we need to talk about limits and a safeword.”

That particular conversation didn’t take very long. The concept of domination and submission was a fairly straightforward concept. Ithrotaalfurin was willing to try most things as long as they were safe and Glanni already knew what he absolutely did not like. While Glanni usually just used the common stoplight safewords they settled on a special one for each other; Maraschino.


	12. Whipped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adventures in pain and pleasure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally stopped smutdodging!  
> I call the pressure thing at the end Glanni does to Ithro 'button crushing' and it's fantastic.

The padded support beam functioned as a whipping post, having hooks drilled into a high point after the padding ended. From the hooks hung a set of cushioned cuffs. 

Glanni tugged on them to test that they were properly attached before guiding the Elf to the post and binding his wrists. He knew Ithrotaalfurin could break the cuffs or tear down the hook easily if he wanted so it was more the idea of being restrained that would keep him tethered.

His shirt and hat had been removed, folded neatly and placed to rest on the bar stool that was now upright in the corner next to the dog crate.

“If you get uncomfortable and this just isn’t for you, safeword out. We’ll find something else or stick to vanilla shit.” The Fae reminded, raising the whip.

After the first strike, Glanni drew near to brush a thumb across the rapidly forming welt across his Elf’s shoulders, relishing in the sharp intake of breath it caused. He had used just enough force to split skin on a human, but Elves were built to be less fragile. He backed away, raising the whip again and swinging. A practiced hand made sure that the next angry red line was almost perfectly parallel to the first. While the first lash had been taken silently, the second prompted a quiet whine. 

“You remember the safeword?” The Fae asked.

“Yes.” Ithrotaalfurin answered, his voice tense.

“Do you want to use it?” Glanni knew some people had to be reminded they had an out.

“No.”

A third lash, this one a bit harder and landing diagonally across where the first two had left clear marks. The Elf grit his teeth against a scream, forcing himself to breath slowly and evenly through his nose. He rested his forehead against the padding of the post and adjusted his stance. Along with the pain, he noticed a soft, buzzing feeling starting at the back of his head and flooding through the rest of him. 

Glanni had paused just long enough for him to notice and appreciate the endorphins that the activity had unlocked. It was like a flip had switched and now he was processing a new form of pleasure that only existed to accompany pain. The fourth lash took him by surprise and he groaned, pressing his groin against the post before he realized what he was doing.

“What do you want?” He heard Glanni ask from behind him.

He couldn’t think straight enough to answer the question before Glanni hit him again, deciding he had taken too long. His whole body tensed as he rutted against the pole for a moment, unable to help himself. He cursed under his breath in Elvish. His back felt like it was on fire but his mind was pleasantly numb and a fair amount of blood had flowed south. He could definitely see the appeal to this particular thing now.

“What do you _want?_ ” Glanni repeated more urgently.

Ithrotaalfurin said the first thing that came to mind. “I want you to kiss me.”

Glanni set the whip down on the bar stool and came back to Ithrotaalfurin, laying flat palms against the heated skin of the other’s back. He placed a few open mouthed kisses along the Elf’s spine as he inspected the damage. Ithrotaalfurin squirmed as Glanni’s hands settled on his hips, pulling him back against the Fae whom he could feel was equally hard. He tried to twist around as much as he could without tearing the hook down. He was rewarded when Glanni’s mouth found his, clumsy from the awkward angle but perfect anyway. 

“I want to fuck you.”

“Please.” Ithrotaalfurin answered quickly.

The Elf found himself pleasantly trapped between the criminal and the post. The Fae’s statement had gotten him even harder than the whipping had and judging by the hand snaking its way around to his front, Glanni was well aware.

“So, we can count this as something you like?” Glanni asked, pressing his own clothed erection against the hero’s ass and grinding against him for a moment.

Ithrotaalfurin shuddered and nodded. “It’s different but I think so, yes.”

Glanni hummed, taking what he needed from his boot and pulling the Elf’s pants down just enough to expose him, kicking his feet further apart. 

“Wait. What if someone comes down here?” Ithrotaalfurin asked suddenly.

“Then… They come down here? It’s a public private space. What, you shy?”

“I guess a little…”

“That’s cute.” Glanni chuckled and shook his head, then suddenly shouted loud enough for the Elf to jump. “Hey CHIEF! Watch the door!”

“It ain’t like we won’t hear you!” Came the muffled reply.

“Fuck off!” Glanni replied and lowered his voice. “There you go. No interruptions.” 

Without waiting for Ithrotaalfurin to have time to think of any other objections he slipped a slick finger into the other. The hero jolted, having not expected it. Despite being with Glanni for years he hadn’t been on the receiving end of their encounters until now. For a second he wondered if that was another part of the problem but was instantly distracted from that train of thought when another finger joined the first. A third was added before the Elf had much time to get used to the intrusion and it took a moment for the sensation to shift from discomfort to pleasant and soon he was rocking back against the Fae’s fingers. 

Too soon, the fingers were gone and he was bent slightly more forward. His shoulders strained slightly, the cuffs still holding his hands above him. The feeling of emptiness didn’t last very long ass Glanni curled an arm around his waist and thrust roughly into him, prompting a surprised, wordless shout to tear itself from his throat. For a moment both were still, the Fae’s breath warm on the Elf’s ear. Ithrotaalfurin could have cried when Glanni slowly began to pull out of him only to slam back in. His entire body was warm, only amplified by the lingering sting of the lashes and the Fae’s teeth on the nape of his neck. While the hero had a bit better control his volume, he was beginning to understand his companion’s tendency to howl.

The two fell into a relatively fast pace for a while, Glanni stroking Ithrotaalfurin lightly. Really it was an odd contrast to everything else and the hero was fairly certain the Fae was teasing him. The arm holding him shifted and the criminal pressed hard against his stomach just below his navel and suddenly not enough became too much all at once, causing him to pull a bit too hard at his restraints. The hook was torn from the post, cuffs snapping apart as Ithrotaalfurin fell to his hands and knees, his legs giving out under him as the sudden overstimulation tipped him over the edge and he came hard onto the floor. Glanni followed him down, happy to fuck him through his climax with a final few quick, hard thrusts until his hips stuttered to a halt as he released as well.

Glanni rested his head against the other’s back and the Elf noticed a wetness, shortly accompanied by a sniffle. Alarm shot through him as he realized the Fae was crying, keeping his face in the Elf’s blind spot behind him and trying to stay quiet.

“Are you alright? Did I do something wrong?” He asked, turning around as he was only loosely held so they could face each other.

Glanni immediately wiped his glistening eyes with his wrist, turning his face away. “I’m fine.” He huffed. “Catharsis or some shit.” He then took a few steps away and dropped into a beanbag, holding his arms out. “C’mere.”

Understanding the emotional release of what just happened, Ithrotaalfurin smiled and followed the other down. He was glad he hadn’t accidentally caused any distress but had instead hopefully dispelled some of it.


	13. Careful Clues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They split up and do some detective work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey, this has a plot, remember?

“You did so well for me.” Glanni remarked, pulling the Elf as close as possible to him and settling his hand on the other’s heated back.

“Leave them.” Ithrotaalfurin said, knowing Glanni intended to heal the marks he had left. Despite the sting, the Elf wanted to let the welts heal naturally. “You’re still here.” 

Glanni snorted, “Of _course_ I’m still here.” 

The Elf sighed, curling slightly as he laid himself on the criminal’s shoulder. Glanni took the opportunity to fuss with the other’s lighter hair. They both remained silent for a while, listening to the music from upstairs. The peace was a severe change from the moments prior and Ithrotaalfurin noticed he felt oddly floaty. It was pleasant. He almost wanted to go to sleep right then, and only part of that was due to a lack of sleep the previous night.

Eventually the Elf forced himself up, checking the clock on the wall. He was surprised to discover they had been in the basement for several hours, as it was now after three in the afternoon. Glanni actually had fallen asleep at some point and groaned when the hero sat up, waking the Fae. They worked together quickly to clean up after themselves, the Elf growing mortified when he realized he couldn’t fix the hook or cuffs.

“If you made a mess you better have cleaned it up.” The Chief called from the counter as they left the building, earning a snicker from the Fae.

“We broke your shit.” Glanni called, much more cheerful now than he had been that morning.

The sunlight was a sharp contrast from the dimmer interior of the bar. They both knew they needed to put some effort toward finding the missing people now that they had settled some of their own problems. Really the missing people should have been the priority, but a case would be impossible if those working on solving it couldn’t focus.

Given how Eroticity functioned they couldn’t talk to the victims’ families since families were uncommon. Most people moved here as single people, couples, or occasionally triples. They _could_ talk to friends, but learned nearly nothing. The one detail they did find out was after reading through police reports. All victims were regulars at The Crown. Glanni opted to stay and talk to the police. This meant Ithrotaalfurin had to talk to everyone employed at the cafe, including Greg.

Greg was nice enough, helpful as far as he could be and answering all questions simply and with a sincere concern that sadly made it no easier for the Elf to separate a sense of jealousy from the barista. If he stayed angry with Greg there was a good chance he would have to be angry with the rest of the city, as well as likely hundreds of people he hadn’t even met. It was no way to live, so he would do his best to let it go. Greg picked up on his discomfort anyway, despite the Elf’s attempts to hide it.

“Look, man. I thought you and Glanni were just friends.” The barista explained. “I would’ve left him alone if I knew he was yours.”

“It’s fine.” The Elf answered sharply. “He’s not really mine anyway.”

Greg nodded awkwardly. “So… No hard feelings? Do you want something to drink?”

Ithrotaalfurin politely declined, just wanting to get through questions as quickly as possible so he could leave. Glanni suggested they meet back up at Doris’s when they finished their respective tasks. He didn’t see her carriage, but it was an easy thing to find another carriage and the Driver for that one was aware of where Doris lived so it worked out alright.

The older woman was home, her four Ponies sitting with her. Their masks and shoes were off, but the rest of the gear remained. All of them were eating out of styrofoam take-out containers. Doris waved once she saw him and he waved back, glad to see her friendly face. 

“Glanni’s got a permanent guest room upstairs. You two don’t mind sharing do you?” She asked, standing with the intent of giving the hero a tour of the place.

Doris’s house was a rather large place. It wasn’t a mansion but it was clear that many people lived there comfortably and it was possible that it may have been a repurposed motel at one point. Everything was very tidy, but still homey. She showed him to her door first in case he needed anything later, then the kitchen, bathrooms, and finally Glanni’s room upstairs which was drastically different from the rest of the house.

Glanni’s room was covered in far too much pink and the beige carpet that existed throughout most of the rest of the house had been torn up here, leaving only black, hard flooring. The bed was large and tucked against a wall where there were several shelves that held an alarming collection of sex toys, aside from the very top shelf which was home to a few lewd framed photographs. Ithrotaalfurin quickly took of his boots and stood on the bed to move the photographs so that they were face-down and out of sight. He knew Glanni slept with other people but he had no desire to see that it had occasionally been recorded in such a way.

“Yeah, I told him he should have those in a scrapbook instead. Easier to hide away if you get visitors.” Doris chuckled. “Of course, most of his visitors want to fuck him anyway.”

“Yes, thank you. I am tired so I’m going to lay down if that’s alright.” The Elf said quickly.

Doris thankfully caught the hint and turned to leave. “You can see the pasture from your window if you feel like watching Pony training. Break’s almost over so I’ll be out until it gets dark. There’s lasagna in the fridge from last night if you get hungry.” 

After the door closed the hero did take the time to go to the window and move the curtain out of the way. There were a few people outside, not as heavily geared as the Ponies he saw pulling carriage. They seemed to be trying to get used to walking in their hoof boots. One of them fell, but was helped up by another. He left the window and explored the rest of the room. He wasn’t _snooping_ exactly, but he was curious. 

The only thing he really learned from looking around was that Glanni evidently really liked stuffed animals, most of which were cats or some variation of feline. There was also a full length mirror in a corner which he decided to take advantage of. He pulled his shirt off over his head, letting his hat come off with it. He turned around so he could see his back to have his own look at the damage. The lashmarks really looked worse than they felt, only itching now. His shirt had annoyed him all day, but it was certainly nothing he couldn’t ignore. 

It was early, but the Elf got into the overly plush bed regardless. He was exhausted.


	14. Clumsy Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glanni wakes up grumpy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cold water doesn't stop pain. It just delays it and then you feel it all at once.

Glanni was back by the time Ithrotaalfurin woke up, the Fae curled up in a ball against his chest. The Elf pressed a kiss to the other’s hair, noting that he smelled pleasantly of soap and chocolate. He was a little concerned to find a bruise around his neck. He pulled the collar of Glanni’s suit down to get a better look, surprise to find the mark took the vague shape of a hand. A brief flash of protective rage coursed through him and he shook Glanni to wake him.

“Go fuck a rake. I’m sleepin’.” Glanni huffed, rolling over and swatting the Elf with the quill of his wing.

“You’re hurt. What happened?” Ithrotaalfurin asked, brushing a finger the other’s bruise.

Glanni’s nose scrunched in confusion before he groaned, irritated. “The cops get rough with me. It’s fine, I asked for it.”

“That’s awful!” The Elf gasped, misunderstanding what the criminal was telling him. “You’ve done nothing wrong here. Certainly nothing bad enough to use such force.”

Glanni had to use his entire weight to pull the Elf back onto the bed, having to roll onto him and pin him as he was determined to go to the police and demand an explanation.

“No, you innocent fucking idiot. I _literally_ asked for it.” The Fae explained.

It took Ithrotaalfurin a solid two minutes for his brain to process what he had just been told. When it finally registered he asked why, glad the criminal allowed himself to be healed.

“It’s a thrill I guess. Not all of us get to enjoy being whipped. My wings get in the way, for one thing.” 

Ithrotaalfurin blushed and decided a change of subject would be a good idea. “Why do you have so many cats?” It wasn’t a particularly good question, but the first one that came to mind.

Glanni shrugged. “Some people like pussy.”

Ithrotaalfurin gave up on having a serious conversation for now and lifted the Fae off of him so he could find a bathroom and take a shower. He went over what he knew of the case as he washed. Four young men missing; Andrew, Chase, Marius, and Russell. All were regulars at The Crown. According to those he asked, they were generally rude customers but never broke any rules. No bodies had been found so they were most likely still alive. No ransom notes so they were probably taken for a purpose other than money. Sex seemed unnaturally free here so it probably wasn't for that either. Most likely they were taken because they made someone angry, but where were they hidden?

If he had met them before they were taken he would have been able to read auras and find them easily that way, but photographs couldn’t capture that. Glanni had said he didn’t recognize them when he saw the pictures so they must have been relatively new to town. 

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening and he peeked out from the shower curtain. Glanni had come in, setting down a fresh set of clothes on the lid of the toilet. The Fae himself had changed from his usual catsuit into torn leather pants and a black turtleneck. Ithrotaalfurin didn’t even see the shimmer of glamoured wings and knew they must be tucked flat under the shirt and pants. He winced, knowing that must be uncomfortable. Wings were meant to breathe.

“I got your shit from the balloon. Your clothes are top drawer, fruit’s in a bag on the dresser.” The Fae called over the sound of the water. “I’d ask if you want company in there but the mirror’s not even fogged so you can have fun shocking your skin by yourself. I’ll be in the pasture.”

With that the Fae left him alone again. He finished washing and dressed quickly, noticing that once the cold water had gone that the itch in his back had flared up enough to feel like it had been severely burned. He grit his teeth, finding the sensation worse than the actual whipping. His shirt did nothing to help. He swore under his breath and went back to the room as quickly as he could so he could take his shirt off again and leave it off.

Clearly leaving his back to heal naturally was a mistake. Healing oneself was always more difficult than someone else, seeing as it was harder to focus if you were the one hurt. Ithrotaalfurin supposed he would have to manage. It took far longer than he was accustomed to to focus the magic at his core outward to his back. It was difficult to separate his mind from the burning to concentrate on how his back _should_ feel. It took him almost half an hour to reverse the inflammation because he kept getting distracted.

When he finally finished he peered out of the window and found Glanni easily. He appeared to be talking with Oliver as both seemed to be instructing others. It seemed to be a lesson on posturing, with Oliver being the example. Doris was sitting nearby, supervising. The Elf looked over to check the calendar, realizing it was Saturday. Maybe the Driver had weekends off?

The Elf put his shirt back on, deciding to join the rest outside. Everyone else seemed to be having fun and it was a nice day outside. Once he had found the back door to get outside he took a seat next to Doris. All of the Ponies were on fours now, arranged in rows. Glanni was walking between rows, tapping some of them with a riding crop to correct those that needed it.

“If you’re not going to pay attention to where you’re weight is you’re going to hurt yourself.” Ithrotaalfurin heard the Fae explain to one of the smaller Ponies.

Doris leaned over to whisper. “These are mine until someone else takes them, so he’s not gonna hit them in case you were worried. He only hits his own.”

The Elf nodded, continuing to quietly watch. Glanni had made his way back to Oliver, taking a small saddle off of the side of the fence. He explained the differences between how a saddle was supposed to feel versus a harness as he strapped it to Oliver’s back. He then sat right on Oliver which was odd in the Elf’s opinion, but he got used to the sight quickly.

Doris noticed his confusion and explained that Petplay was generally an escape from the usual Human stress. Things that worry a person wouldn’t worry a dog, cat, or horse, so some people liked to take breaks from themselves to put themselves in the position of an animal. Puppies were obedient and often hyperactive, Ponies were generally good for labor of some sort. Kitties just did whatever they wanted, in Doris’s experience and so she didn’t bother with them much, preferring order.

“Usually training is a one-on-one thing for a Pet and Owner to bond but seeing as Pony is an actually job I decided to run a stable to get them all trained for other Drivers that don’t feel like taking the time.” Doris waved her hands as she spoke. “I only keep the four that work for me specifically. Ollie’s the best behaved.”

“Ollie?” Ithrotaalfurin echoed, amused by the nickname as he usually just referred to the other as ‘officer’. “Well… I suppose he’s not a policeman anymore.”

“He was a policeman?” Doris asked, surprised.

“You didn’t know?”

“He just showed up one day, curious. A lot of people come to this city lookin’ to start over so I never ask about what anyone did before they got here.”

“Hey!” Glanni interrupted, and Ithrotaalfurin looked up to see a small, one-seater carriage. “You wanna demonstrate?” He asked, tapping one of the wheels of which there were only two. “This shit takes strength.”

Ithrotaalfurin hopped up from his seat and moved closer to the carriage. It was more of a cart really. He let Glanni shove a harness onto him, chuckling as the straps had to be adjusted to accommodate his wide shoulders. There was a strap at the waist as well, secured to him just above his belt. There were metal rings sewn into the sides and back of the waist strap, which was where Glanni attached the cart to him.

“Most Drivers are going to want your hands behind your back, under your tail and out of sight. I’m not going to pin a tail to this guy, he just looked like he’d stayed still too long.” The Fae explained to the others, then tapped the hero’s hip. “Take a run around the fence.”

Confused but happy to be up and moving he jogged around easily, but took the first turn too sharp and causing the cart to tip over. He was surprised when he crashed to his side with it. He was dazed for a moment, unaccustomed to be so clumsy.

“That’s why you slow down and make wide turns.” Glanni stated, very obviously holding back laughter. 

Oliver was the one to come over to help the Elf up, pushing the cart upright and unhooking the harness. “I did that the first time too.” The former officer whispered. 

Ithrotaalfurin felt better to know that he wasn’t the only one to fail in such a way. Still, this was not for him.


	15. Not a Sugar Meltdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The show must go on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so fuckin' sorry.  
> Song is S&M - Rhianna

Later in the day, Ithrotaalfurin and Glanni went back to Blush. Glanni insisted on taking Oliver with them. Oliver didn’t actually take much persuading, but he did seem flustered about it. Ithrotaalfurin would have protested going back to the bar, but the Fae pointed out that information sharing with the Chief would be necessary to make any progress. Chief was Glanni’s friend anyway. Friendship was important.

Glanni was visibly agitated as soon as they entered the bar. Someone was in his seat. Ithrotaalfurin noticed the Fae’s eyes flash pink for a moment, then the one bar stool that wasn’t nailed down fell over, spilling the person using it onto the floor. Glanni took the fallen stool for himself, glaring at the person on the floor with a cold air of disgust as if he was looking at a dead rat instead of a Human. His right to the stool went unchallenged.

“You could just ask people to move, asshole.” Chief huffed, but didn’t hide his amusement.

“He fell off. I fail to see how that’s my fault.” Glanni snickered.

“One day I’ll find out how you do that trick.” Chief warned, then greeted the others. “Hey Nine. Oliver, it’s good to see you.”

Oliver blushed, taking a seat and inspecting his own hands. Glanni made a mock-gagging sound. The former officer reached over to swat the Fae, who laughed under his breath. Ithrotaalfurin was just confused by the exchange and decided to ignore it as he ordered water.

“What, you don’t drink?” Chief asked.

“Drinking’s bad for you.”

“Fair enough.” Chief shrugged, setting a glass in front of him. 

Glanni got the jar of cherries and vodka that had been saved with a reminder to ‘not overdo it’. Oliver just wound up nursing a small glass of hobgoblin beer. There was quite a bit of banter back and forth between the Fae and the bartender. Once he got a spare minute, Chief drew out a map of places in town that could be potential hiding spots for the kidnappings.

When the clock got around to eight Ithrotaalfurin was more than ready to go back to Glanni’s room and sleep. He would have gone if not for the sudden fierceness with which Glanni declared himself late for something. The Fae ran, and the Elf had to follow him. They stopped back at the Crown. They entered and the criminal pushed the hero into a random seat with instructions to stay there as he left through a door next to the stage. The curtain was closed.

Unsure what else to do, Ithrotaalfurin stayed put. Whatever was going on he had the unpleasant feeling that he wasn’t going to like it. He had seen the first few minutes of a show when they had arrived in the city. He did not like it. 

“Hey you!” Called Greg once he noticed the Elf. “Can I get you anything?”

Ithrotaalfurin sighed. “Water, I guess? Do you know what’s going on?”

“Drag and something else. I wasn’t paying attention.”

Drag wasn't bad at all, Ithrotaalfurin decided. Maybe this would be okay.

The quiet ambiance music that usually floated about the cafe faded into silence only to be replaced by a louder song. The stage lit up and the curtains pulled aside to reveal Glanni with more makeup than his standard. He was wearing a curly black wig and dress with a pink bodice decorated with black sequined straps. The skirt was made up of chiffon ruffles and seemed to be floor length in the back, but tapered up to above his knees in the front. He was seated in a high-backed chair, his wrists loosely chained to the back behind his head. His legs were crossed gracefully and his usual boots had been replaced by a pair of black leather thigh high stilettos. 

Despite being restrained, the Fae looked like he owned the entire building and all of the people in it. It was entirely obvious that he was exactly where he wanted to be. He uncrossed his legs, putting one foot forward before dragging it back slowly, rolling his hips as he did so.

_It feels so good being bad._

Ithrotaalfurin could see the shimmery outline of where the Fae’s wings were, wincing when he noticed they were squashed against the back of the chair. Really, the chair should have been turned around. 

As if he heard the Elf’s thoughts, Glanni had twisted himself around. His hands were still bound as he stood, back to his audience and bent forward. He rocked, moving his rear in a fluid motion which paired with the flutter of wings only Ithrotaalfurin could see immediately stopped the Elf’s heart for a moment.

He averted his eyes to the counter. He knew this dance was not for him specifically but the fact Glanni _was_ dancing paired with the flashy things he was wearing, there was a part of the Elf’s mind that had refused to recognize the dance as anything other than a courtship display. _Not for me,_ he had to remind himself.

When he looked up again Glanni had hauled the chair to the side and put a foot onto it, the seat tucked between the heel and body of the boot. He appeared to be trying to pull his hands from his bonds, though was making no progress. He wore a sultry smile regardless. 

The song picked up and the cord of a whip appeared from behind the side curtain, hitting the stage with a loud crack. It had just barely hit a spread wing, which the Fae quickly pulled closer to his back. The holder of the whip made himself known, a shirtless man with a considerable amount of muscle.

Ithrotaalfurin took a second to congratulate himself on being a little better built than the stranger who had plastered himself against the back of the Fae. There was also a moment of a very strong urge to protect as Glanni’s wings were practically being crumpled by the man who was unable to perceive them. He also wanted to tear the stranger off of Glanni, but this was a performance and so far it was actually entertaining. He was surprised nothing had gone too far.

A second man appeared from the other side of the stage to remove the chains from the chair, but kept the criminal’s hands and pulled him close as if he had the Fae’s hands on a leash. The two men made a show of handling the Fae to lay on his stomach across the chair, but he suddenly pushed the one at his head away, causing the man to step away and look to the other in confusion.

Glanni’s eyes found Ithrotaalfurin’s easily and he freed one of his hands to beckon the Elf to him with a finger. There was a request on his face that made Ithrotaalfurin’s breath catch in his throat. For a moment he considered obliging, but the thought was crushed by the feeling of being overwhelmed. This was too much and he got up from his chair. 

Glanni smiled for a moment, before realizing the hero had gotten up to leave. The Fae’s face fell. _Oh well,_ he decided. _Back to script._

Ithrotaalfurin made it outside and took a deep breath, letting the cold air calm him. Glanni had been working to get him used to things like this since they had gotten to the city but this was just too much too soon. Empty streets were a blessing as he leaned back against the wall of the cafe, still hearing the music faintly.

A few seconds later the door opened again and Greg stepped out with a cup, handing it over. Ithrotaalfurin reluctantly took it.

“Must be rough being with that guy, huh?” The barista asked conversationally. “Don’t worry. Water refills are free.”

“He can be a little… much.” The Elf agreed. “Do all shows turn into sex?”

Greg shrugged. “Over half of them.”

The Elf nodded taking a long sip from the cup. He handed it back, deciding he should just go back to Doris’s and run a few laps around the pasture to take the edge off of his nerves before going to bed. As soon as he took a step, though, his knee refuse to lock and he fell to the ground roughly.

“Jeez that was fast. Usually takes a few minutes. Your metabolism must be some sort of freaky power.” Greg chuckled.

Ithrotaalfurin blacked out after that.


	16. Lost and Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ithrotaalfurin needs help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Few scene changes in here. Hope it doesn't read as too muddled.

After the show ended Glanni took off the dress to change into his regular clothes, other than the boots which he decided to keep. Normally he would stay after and meet his audience, possibly taking one home if they caught his interest. This time though, he just wanted to make sure Ithrotaalfurin was alright. The Elf had looked more worried than usual when he left and his wings hurt anyway.

The Fae would admit taking the other to a show was a mistake but he had thought that it would be a good way to desensitize the hero. Glanni really had wanted his companion to join him on the stage. It could have been a bonding experience for them. Ithrotaalfurin wanted them to bond, right?

He went straight to Doris’s, ignoring her verbal observation of the fact he was home early in favor of going straight to his room to apologize. Ithrotaalfurin wasn’t there. Glanni cursed and looked out the window, hoping his Elf was just running laps in the pasture for the sake of exercise or whatever the point of it was. No luck there.

The cover of night allowed the Fae to fly to the balloon, finding only an empty basket when he landed. That meant the Elf hadn’t left the city, but where could he be? He went back to Blush, not sure where else to check. Chief hadn’t seen him either.

“What the FUCK?” Glanni exclaimed, kicking over his stool and storming out.

He took a deep breath, mapping the city in his head and hoping Ithrotaalfurin had only taken a walk and gotten hopelessly lost. Lost could be found.

A few hours after losing consciousness, Ithrotaalfurin awoke to find himself in a dark space surrounded by pipes. There was a dull throb behind his eyes and his wrists were blistered somewhere behind him. His hands had gone numb and once he had his wits about him he realised he had been secured to one of the pipes behind him.

“That’s fuckin’ creepy.” Called a quiet voice from somewhere to his left. “What’s with your eyes, dude?”

“They’re reflective.” Ithrotaalfurin answered, his voice somewhat hoarse. “I’m Nine. Who are you?”

“I’m Russ.” Answered the voice.

“Marius.” Came another voice from across the room. 

“I’ve been looking for you.” Ithrotaalfurin told them, looking around once his eyes had adjusted properly. Including himself there were only three people in the room. “Where are the other two?”

The room fell into a thick silence. The Elf hung his head. Too little too late. It wasn’t as if he was much help now. Too much time had been wasted and now he was trapped as well. Two deaths were on his conscience now.

He tried to pull himself free of the pipes but whatever iron was in them and the cuffs was rendering him practically powerless. Both were forms of steel, which was an iron alloy. Iron repelled magic and he had to have been unconscious for quite a while for it to be burning him. He could smell blood as well. Was that his?

Glanni had searched the whole city, checking everywhere from dungeons to the dog park. His heart was racing, partially from moving around so much but mostly because he was deathly worried. Unable to think of any place he had missed, he flew high above the city and searched with his magic instead of his eyes, opening his Sight. 

He knew the smell of Ithrotaalfurin’s magic, like dust before rain and the buzz of the earth just before lightning strikes. Gold and yellow and orange with little wisps of blue. Sleigh bells in summer, flowers in winter. The Elf was a mess of beautiful contradictions and usually it always stood out. Now though, Glanni was having trouble picking anything out from the dull, magicless Human auras. 

What _did_ stand out from the rest was a dark red smudge that seemed to glow black. It felt wrong to look at for too long. It was repulsive and awful and Glanni could tell who it was almost instantly. He really should remember to check auras before hooking up with people.

“Oh fuck. _Ew_.” Glanni muttered, gliding down in the direction of the smudge. 

The Fae landed in an alley not far off, tucking his wings and crouching down. The tight clothing he was wearing melded to his skin as he shrank, black fur spreading from his hairline to the rest of his body. His spine lengthened into a long tail. His wings shrivelled and receded into his back. After a few painful seconds, the Fae had compressed himself into the shape of a cat.

He let out a breath, displacing the mass he wasn’t currently using into nearly invisible mist, which he was able to spread his awareness through. Hopefully he would find Ithrotaalfurin, as well as the rest of the missing people this way. If he was going to succeed though, he needed stealth. Humans saw what they wanted to see and the smudge was Human. Nobody ever batted an eye at a stray cat.


	17. Ode to Joy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ithrotaalfurin gets a visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is It's Been a Long, Long Time by Kitty Kallen

Greg had been in and out of what Ithrotaalfurin now knew to be a boiler room quite a few times. Whenever he was in he would take blood from each man and take it somewhere else. What he was doing with it was unknown but Russell and Marius had passed out. The Elf was still awake, but lightheaded.

He kept falling into a state of consciousness where he was aware of his surroundings at the same time as dreaming. He needed food and water and sunlight and something to look at other than the grey floor. He could feel his crystal more than hearing or seeing it. It was aware he was the one in trouble and knew enough to keep quiet.

Occasionally he would mistake the unconscious bodies of the other trapped men for his son and Glanni, which caused him to panic before remembering the Fae was nowhere near here and Sportacus was still in Lazytown with his own family where he belonged. He wasn’t sure whether to be glad they were nowhere near here or upset that he felt alone with no familiar faces.

If he had just stayed inside he could have avoided this situation and he could have found the others in a better way where he would actually be able to help instead of sitting in the dark. How much blood had been taken? Enough to make him dizzy, but he wasn’t sure exactly.

He closed his eyes, just for a moment. He wanted to soothe the migraine behind his eyes in any way that he could. Only a few seconds afterward he heard a woman singing, almost silently before she seemed to get closer. It didn’t bother his headache, so he was content to listen a while. 

_”You'll never know how many dreams_   
_I've dreamed about you._   
_Or just how empty they all seemed without you._   
_So kiss me once, then kiss me twice_   
_Then kiss me once again._   
_It's been a long, long time.”_

“Look at you. I’ve only been gone fifty-nine years and you’re already in a mess!” Said a new voice, or perhaps an old voice.

Ithrotaalfurin knew that voice. He looked up from the concrete floor to see a stout woman crouching a foot in front of him. She had brown curly hair, grey streaks flowing from her temples. She wore a light yellow cardigan and a floral blue skirt. Her ocean blue eyes met the Elf’s own gold and she grinned crookedly, an expression he had gotten used to only seeing on his son’s face. He opened his mouth to speak but found himself shocked into silence.

“Hey there. It’s been a long time…” The woman continued softly. “I’ve missed you. Too bad this is how we meet again. You’re not supposed to die yet.”

“Joy?” The Elf asked in disbelief.

“Yeah honey, it’s me.” The woman confirmed, pushing her glasses further up her nose.

Joy moved forward and turned herself, settling to sit beside the Elf. She had her weight on her hip and her legs kicked out to the side. She leaned on Ithrotaalfurin and he could see her clearly but there was no weight or warmth to her.

“Have I died?” He asked.

“Not yet.” She answered simply.

“Am I going to?” 

“Maybe. I can’t know everything. You can, if you want. Giving up now wouldn’t be too hard, but I know that’s something you can’t do.” The lady chuckled warmly, absently picking at the hem of her skirt. “You shouldn’t give up. People still need you to save them.”

“There will always be people who need saving.” The Elf sighed, ducking his head.

“Well you’ve got these two boys that need saving here and a Fae that needs saving from himself.”

“You know of Glanni…” The hero observed aloud. “Are you angry?”

“Of course not. You moved on and that’s good.” Joy said. “I do have to ask why you put up with some of his shit but I guess everyone has flaws and you’re too loyal for your own good.”

“I’m an Elf.”

“You’re a _dog_.”

“Woof.”

The two laughed quietly for a moment.

“How’s our boy?” Joy asked, keeping the conversation going.

“He has a family. His mate is a Drider of all things.”

“Well he did cling to my leg until he was twelve.” Joy snorted. “Of course he’d want a man with eight of them.”

“You would like Ella. She’s like you.” The hero mused. “How long can you stay?”

“Until you wake up.”

She laid her head on her husbands shoulder and resumed humming a song. He joined in, deciding to enjoy the gift of her presence for however long he had. He would have asked her to dance, but as it was he could hardly moved. This was enough.


	18. Falcon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glanni is in a rage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get rekt Greg.

Anywhere that had proper air had to have some sort of ventilation system. Old buildings had poor ventilation systems that had half-rotten grates that were easy to pull away from their fixings. The vent Glanni found was just the right size for a cat to fit though as long as he kept himself low. His whiskers caught a draft, pulling cooler air from outside but nothing strong enough to suggest a fan.

Mist spread throughout the ventilation system, mapping it out clearly in the Fae’s mind. There _was_ a fan but it was currently off. The first branch went upward from a floor into a living room, the next up into a bathroom. There was only one branch downward, which opened into a basement full of pipes. Three bodies, he counted, all alive but none of them moving. He was glad to recognise the feel of the one he was looking for.

He stayed curled near the outside of the vent, listening and waiting for it to turn on so it could turn off again and let him know how much time he had to move. He didn’t want to crawl in just for it to turn on when he was as small as he was now. He was in a poor enough mood without being sucked into spinning blades.

He also kept track of the dark red, _wrong_ smudge he knew was Greg. Honestly a free coffee was hardly worth quick, sloppy, semipublic sex when Glanni now knew the barista had done something bad enough that his aura looked like a particularly painful blister.

The fan hummed to life, almost a roar to a cat’s ear. It took about twenty minutes before it turned off again. Glanni had already entered the vent as soon as he heard the blades slow. There was a grate in the way of the basement, but the screws were loose enough to twist out. It clattered to the floor with a loud bang, cat dropping with it.

The Fae stilled, listening. At the sound of footsteps he darted into a corner and climbed behind a set of pipes, closing his eyes to hide the reflective glow. A door slammed against a wall as it opened and the clunk of boots sounded from a set of stairs.

“The hell are you doing down here?” Asked Greg, sounding tired.

There was no answer from the three men bound to the pipes, all unconscious. There was a scrape as the vent grate was picked up from the concrete. A few minutes thater, footsteps retreated and the door clicked closed.

Glanni let his eyes open and he left his hiding spot. He ignored the two strangers in favor of checking his Elf, finding him far too pale and half-dead. He was still breathing, though, which was a good sign as far as the criminal was concerned. A few needlescars in Ithrotaalfurin’s neck caught his eye and the cat’s snout crinkled in disgust. There was no scent of anything being injected, so it became all too obvious that blood was being taken _out_. Glanni circled around to the Elf’s back, finding his wrists a festering mess where the metal bit into his skin. The cuffs would require hands to unlock. Well, he was already in a dangerous area, might as well be big enough to defend himself.

Within a few seconds the cat was a properly sized man again, drawing the mist back into himself to rebuild his usual body. He stood and stretched, flapping his wings a few times. He bent to take the Elf’s hat off and place a kiss in his hair, then made his way up the stairs and kicked the door open. 

The barista’s reaction was immediate, demanding to know how Glanni had gotten into his house, why he was here, and were those _wings?_ Glanni responded to none of the yelling, his hand finding the other’s throat and throwing him to the floor. His wings flared behind him and quivering in a rare display of aggression. 

“Give me the key.” The Fae ordered. 

Greg sputtered, scooting backward on the floor. He didn’t answer, at least not in any understandable words. Whatever he was trying to say was irrelevant as he had made no move to retrieve or hand over what Glanni wanted from him. The Fae rolled his eyes and took a few steps forward to stomp harshly on the other’s hand, bones crunching audibly.

“If I remember correctly, you’re right handed? Shame.” He crouched to put himself closer to the man on the floor. “You can get the key for me, tell me where it is, or I can break the other hand.”

Whether out of defensive instinct or stupidity, Greg raised a hand and struck the Fae’s face, causing him to reel back. He tried to scramble away, screaming as he thoughtlessly put weight on his broken hand. Glanni didn’t take long to recover, fisting his hand in the barista’s hair and dragging him to the front door and outside.

There was a buzz as the Fae’s wings had to work harder than usual to get both of them off of the ground. He was more than enough fueled by anger to keep himself and the weight of the other climbing into the sky. Greg grew more and more frantic, alternating between wanting to stabilize himself with the only thing keeping from falling and getting as far away as possible.

“You keep squirming and I’m going to drop you.” Glanni warned. “I might drop you just for fun.”

“F-fuck. It’s- My pocket, _My pocket!_ The keys. Just let me down, fuck!” The barista panicked.

Glanni let go, taking vindictive pleasure as the Human screamed. He closed his wings to dive, catching the other man by the ankle after he had fallen a few seconds to slow his fall, then dropped him from a less lethal height that only broke his nose.

The Fae landed far more gracefully, kicking the barista to his side to search his pockets. He found the key on his second try, immediately wanting to drop it but holding fast. He dragged the Human back inside and down to the basement, tossing him aside. There was a clank as Greg hit his head against one of the pipes.

Glanni returned to his Elf, unlocking the cuffs and throwing them harshly at Greg, catching him about the side of his face. Ithrotaalfurin slumped over, no longer being held upright from his bonds. The Fae couldn’t do much to help iron damage and the fact the hero was only just barely breathing was troubling.

He picked the Elf up, struggling from the muscle weight and denser bones. A Human was one thing but Elves were annoyingly heavy. Still, he managed to carry the other out of the building and far enough to reach a payphone. He called the emergency number and explained that he needed help as well as the situation in Greg’s basement. For once he was glad to see police sirens.

One of the cars continued on and the second slowed to a stop next to the payphone. Two policemen exited the car and helped move the Elf into the back seat. Glanni joined him there. Ithrotaalfurin continued to be unresponsive and the Fae was beginning to notice that he had the sensation of having a large stone lodged in his chest. His anger was fading away into fear. He couldn’t get the image of a dead Elf out of his head and he had no idea what to do about it other than keep a finger on the other’s pulsepoint. 

What would he do if Ithrotaalfurin died? What would Glanni have done if he had already been dead when he found him? He _wasn’t_ but there had been that chance. The very thought of it felt wrong. Tears had been shed before the Fae even knew he was crying. Feeling a drop fall on his hand only opened the floodgate further and within seconds he fell into audible sobs, pulling a knee up to his chest to hide his face.

_Oh..._

The policeman in the passenger’s seat turned to look back at the Fae in surprise. “Shit. You okay, babe?” He asked, passing back a tissue.

“No I am not _fucking_ okay, Peter.” Glanni snapped at him. “I’m in love with this idiot and now he’s going to fucking _die._ ”


	19. Should I Stay or Should I Go?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get to know what Greg was doing and Glanni is not okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for Sports.

Glanni hated hospitals but Elf biology was close enough to a Human’s that it was the only thing he could think of to help Ithrotaalfurin on short notice. Blood was a little different between species and while Ithrotaalfurin needed blood the doctors were unable to identify blood type. All that could be done was to hook him up to fluids and hope for the best.

The Fae had to argue with several doctors and nurses for them to let him stay in the room. Apparently claiming to be someone’s boyfriend did not work if your name was Glanni Glaepur and had a reputation of being most of the city’s boyfriend. He had to call Doris in so she could yell at the medical staff for him because he was way too tired to deal with it.

Glanni had his own chair in the private room. The hero wasn’t exactly comatose, as he almost woke up and muttered in Elvish before drifting off again. He heard his name once among the other sleepy ramblings and wondered what the Elf could possibly be dreaming. It couldn’t be anything good. It was the Fae’s fault he was hurt in the first place.

He should have told Ithrotaalfurin to go back to Doris’s or cancelled the show. At the very least he could have refrained from calling the other up to join him. That had been a particularly stupid decision. Just because he had learned from overexposure didn’t mean other people could. Guilt was an awful feeling. All feelings were awful and he wanted his heart back.

Ithrotaalfurin shifted, searching with his hand until it found where Glanni’s rested on the bed. The Fae sighed and laced his fingers with the other.

“Oh just keep it you ass…” Glanni huffed, referring to the aforementioned heart.

The first day passed without much progress. Chief showed up during visiting hours to check on Glanni, concerned when he heard the news. Glanni told him of the revelation he had while in the police car. Chief dropped the cup of water he had been holding and asked if the Fae was kidding. Glanni assured him that he was deathly serious.

The police also checked in during the evening. They explained that Greg was being held at the station for now while his house was searched. There were traces of blood in the bathtub and several towels, suggesting that he had been bathing in it. 

“Great… So he thinks he’s a vampire? I’ve met vampires, they’re not nearly so dramatic. Why all the white blondes though? What is he, Hollywood?” Glanni asked.

“He said he only wanted blood from ‘pure’ people.” Answered Officer Peter, using air quotations.

“Ugh, _ew_. I touched nazi dick.” Glanni groaned, leaning sideways in his chair against his the wall. “Please tell me you broke his other hand. Or his neck.”

“He’s still alive and has use of his left hand. If it weren’t for laws that would be a different story.” Peter said with a shrug. “Your heel put a hole in his hand by the way.”

“Good.” The Fae then got up from his chair and went to the attached bathroom. “I’m going to take a shower.”

“You want company? You’ve been stressed.”

Glanni considered it for a moment, then shook his head. “It’s not going to make me feel better. Just watch him for me.”

The shower was relatively short compared to the Fae’s usual as he didn’t want to waste time with anything other than scrubbing his skin raw. He was disgusted with both the barista and himself. Statistically he knew he had probably slept with several unsavory people but it was different to know for sure. He hadn’t brought a change of clothes with him so he redressed in what he had been wearing before.

When he came back out of the bathroom he was surprised to see that the younger Elf had arrived. Sportacus had taken his chair, but Glanni wasn’t about to take it back. Instead, he took a perch on the windowsill.

“Hi Glanni.” Sportacus greeted, sounding much less cheerful than usual.

“Hey... What are you doing here?"

"My crystal panicked."

Peter said nothing and left the room. A very long silence passed. 

“Is this city where you usually live?” The younger Elf asked after growing tired of the quiet.

“More or less. This is the first I’ve been here in a few years though.”

“It’s… something.”

“You don't have to pretend you can lie.” Glanni huffed. “You don’t have to like it. Your pabbi doesn’t like it. When he wakes up you can both leave and go back to being sickeningly happy far away from me where I can’t fuck up his life any more. They can’t give him human blood by the way, go find a nurse and open a vein.” 

Even though Sportacus was half human his blood tested as a match and Glanni was ushered out of the room for sanitary purposes. When he was allowed in again Ithrotaalfurin looked considerably less pale. His hat was off and in his son’s lap, the younger elf looking melancholy at a black and white photograph. He passed it over to the Fae.

The picture was of a dark haired Human woman holding a squalling newborn, frazzled and messy. She was obviously tired, but appeared to be laughing anyway. The baby had a clear point to his ears and hadn’t been cleaned yet.

“That is my mother.” Sportacus offered, though Glanni had already guessed. “Pabbi keeps her in his hat. There is a pocket sewn in so it won’t fall out. He’s never going to stop loving my mother and he’s never going to stop loving you either. You can run away from that if you like, but if you really want to leave then you shouldn’t be here when he wakes up. It will hurt him more to watch you go.”

Glanni stayed, looking down at the picture of the woman in his hands and asking her for forgiveness.


	20. Wake Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glanni finally fucking talks.

Ithrotaalfurin woke up around three in the morning, confused as to where he was. As soon as he sat up he became aware of needles in his skin and a strange beeping. The beeping quickened as he was pushed back down and he struggled to resist them.

“Calm down, Pabbi. It’s me.” Came a familiar voice and Ithrotaalfurin was surprised to see his son.

“You’re in the hospital.” Glanni said from where he was seated in the window.

The older Elf tried to calm himself, but he was uncomfortable and had had enough of needles for a lifetime. He tore it out, ignoring the protest from Sportacus. He instantly felt better, the beeping of the heart monitor slowing as part of his uneasiness faded.

“What about the others?” 

“They’ll be fine.” Glanni answered. “Physically, at least. Mentally, who knows?”

“Everybody handles things differently.” Sportacus chimed in.

“There were two with me but two others as well. Where are they?”

“Haven’t been found yet. At least not as far as I know.” Glanni reported.

Ithrotaalfurin grimaced and picked at the hem of an overbleached sheet. His hands shook, both from fatigue and stress. Glanni was struck with the urge to comfort but he stayed in the window, uncertain how to help. Sportacus apparently had the same urge as he moved from the chair to the side of the bed to pat his father’s back.

Sportacus easily fell into the task of distraction. He told the older Elf what had happened since his departure from Lazytown, sharing stories of his family and the newly numbered Stephanie’s progress with her continued training. Hours of conversation passed until the sun began to rise. Glanni had yet to say a word.

“You’re quiet.” Ithrotaalfurin observed aloud.

“Just wondering what the heart monitor would do if I suck you off.”

Sportacus quickly vacated the room, closing the door behind him. Glanni snickered and took the chair back.

“Glanni…” Ithrotaalfurin scolded softly.

“Relax, I wasn’t serious. I mean, I can if you want but I just wanted junior to get out. I need to talk to you.” Glanni explained, then took a deep breath. “I think I get it now.”

“You… get what?” Ithrotaalfurin asked, wanting his companion to elaborate.

“Why Bobby let himself get shredded by a lady.”

“I’m not sure I follow.”

“I’m no good at this shit…”

“Try.”

The Fae fidgeted, his wings batting lightly behind him. “I thought it was bullshit. I thought love was just bullshit you tell people to get them to stick around and make yourself feel important. I didn’t think it was real. But then I see all this shit going on with your family and I figured ‘Okay, maybe it’s just not real for _me._ ’ and that was fine. Fuck, I _liked_ you since you figured out I was trying to get a reaction out of you and started playing along. That was _fun_. Now you’re hurt and it’s my fault and I feel _things_ and I should have just cancelled the show or taken you back to Doris’s first because I _knew_ you weren’t going to like it but I just thought-”

“Glanni, calm down. You’re hovering.”

The Fae was only then aware of the fact he had begun to curl in on himself, wings buzzing behind him. He halted his wings and straightened his legs, landing heavily on his feet. 

“The fact that I got hurt is not your fault.”

“But-”

“No.” The Elf interrupted. “Greg is the one who hurt me and it was my choice to go outside alone when I was aware that something bad was happening in this city. I actually didn’t dislike all of it, by the way. You were very pretty in the dress.”

Instead of taking the opportunity to preen as he usually would, Glanni returned to the chair. He then thought better of it and climbed into the hospital bed at the other’s side. Ithrotaalfurin didn’t have to move much to make room to accommodate him.

“I was scared.” Glanni admitted. “You almost died. I don’t want to lose you.”

“I’m right here.” The Elf assured.

“I love you.”

“Don’t-”

“No, I mean it. I thought love was bullshit but then I saw you half-dead, cuffed to a pipe and the only thing that kept me from breaking was getting you away from there.” The Fae said frantically, tears misting in his eyes. “I’m not going to be okay if you die.”

Ithrotaalfurin wasn’t sure what to say to that. He was happy to hear it of course, but there was a skepticism in the back of his mind about it. He didn’t want to have that doubt, but he was well aware Glanni wasn’t the ‘loving’ type unless he wanted something. Then again he wasn’t the type to cry and certainly never intentionally. He supposed he could figure it out later. He curled the arm that wasn’t hooked up to a machine around the Fae’s back, just above his wingjoints. Glanni gladly took the chance to hide his face, already aware of his already smudged makeup was running.

A knock sounded at the door and Ithrotaalfurin answered, letting his son come back into the room quietly. Sportacus wisely did not mentioned the softly sobbing criminal and instead only looked puzzled. The older Elf shook his head, then beckoned the other over with his free hand. 

“Can you go get some food?” Ithrotaalfurin asked, not trusting the hospital food despite not yet having any. “See if you can find a woman named Doris and ask if she can bring clothes too.”

Sportacus nodded, keeping quiet and left the room once again.


	21. Errand Running

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sportacus gets to see Eroticity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is short and late and I'm sorry.

Sportacus did not take long to realize that the city he was in was very odd. There were very few cars which was good he supposed, as it meant the people were getting some exercise. The few cars there were drove slowly. The public transportation seemed to be people dressed as horses pulling carriages and he was worried for them for a moment before someone assured him that the ‘Ponies’ were working willingly and were even getting paid. He supposed that it wasn’t much different from a very eccentric rickshaw.

Only after leaving the hospital did he realize that he had been told to find Doris but he had no way of knowing _how_ to find her or what the woman looked like. Maybe she was well known? He hoped so. It would make things easier. He managed to stop a carriage and ask the Driver, and was told to watch for another Driver with somewhat greying hair and a flowered hat.

He walked around a while, seeing no such hat, and decided to take care of the food situation first. There were no fruit trees growing in the city, not even the small park. A market was much easier to find and seemed to be a standard sort. He quickly filled a bag with apples, a few tomatoes, and a carton of blackberries. He also bought a separate bag of carrots.

Once he was outside again he asked around a bit more before finally settling on a bench, pulling one of the carrots out to eat. He had just put the carrot in his mouth when a carriage stopped in front of him, a woman with a flowered hat and early greys smiling down at him.

She gestured to the carrot and smirked. “Only halfway?”

Startled, the Elf bit down on the vegetable, choking slightly from surprise.

“I sure hope you treat your man better if you got one.” She teased. “I heard you were lookin’ for me.”

“Ah, yes.” He stood, a friendly grin on his face. “I was told to ask you about clothes.”

Doris looked him over, her brow furrowing. “You Nine’s blue-eyed twin?” 

“No. I’m his son.”

“Bullshit but alright. Get in. I’m guessin’ the clothes are for Mister Barbie Doll.” She gestured to the side of the carriage.

Sportacus thanked her and climbed on. The ride was quick and before she left she explained how to get through the large house and to Glanni’s room. She wasn’t able to take a break to early in the day so she had no time to lead him properly.

I suppose everyone needs practice.” He mused aloud to himself when he finally got to the Fae’s room and saw the well-stocked shelves over the bed. 

He very deliberately did _not_ look too closely at those and turned toward the dresser where he rustled through, finding his father’s clothing in the first drawer. He took those and checked the second drawer which was filled with various types of lingerie. He frowned, closing that one and checking the third drawer which only held more toys. Really, how many did one person need?

The dresser was a lost cause so he moved on to the closet, _finally_ finding decent clothing among other things. It was also a very big closet and Sportacus was a bit overwhelmed. Unsure of what Glanni would want, he settled on grabbing anything that looked comfortable.

He took a fun jog back to the hospital, several bags laced over his arms in a way that made him look somewhat like an odd bird. He took the time to look around and acquaint himself to his new surroundings.

Sportacus felt somewhat disappointed that he hadn’t thought to bring his camera. He knew Robbie would probably be curious to see this city when the Elf went home to tell him about it. Of course, with his crystal flashing so urgently he really only had time to kiss his mate and child goodbye before leaving for his airship. His camera was still on the shelf in the den. Oh well.

Sportacus made it back to the hospital, thanking one of the staff when they opened the door for him, happy to see how polite most people were here. 

By the time he got back to his father’s room Glanni had cried himself out and fallen asleep. Ithrotaalfurin didn’t look too far from drifting off, either. Sportacus kept quiet, trying not to crinkle the bags as he set the clothes on the windowsill. He left the fruits and vegetables in reach of the older Elf, who nodded his thanks. Sportacus left the room again, leaving the others to rest alone.


	22. Laid Bare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's hard to let go of a shield.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so late, I'm sorry. I was super blocked for a bit. It's a tiny bit longer than other chapters, I hope that makes up for it.

Glanni woke up around noon, vacating the bed to check which clothes he had been brought once he was informed they were there. He scoffed at the selection. All of them were the loose, baggy sort of things he would wore to bed if he were sleeping alone. 

He took a shirt with a pink cat on it and a pair of sweatpants to the bathroom, not really bothered much by the fact he hadn’t been brought any underwear. It wouldn’t be the first time he had gone without, after all. He set those on the counter and turned on the faucet to wash his face first since it was very itchy.

Glanni looked up at his reflection, took a moment to register what exactly he was seeing. Mascara had run down his face, eyeliner looked more like bruises, and lipstick seemed to be trying to escape his face entirely. He screamed. 

The sound startled the Elf in the other room, causing the heart monitor to beep frantically. This tripped an alarm that prompted a nurse to rush in to see what the problem was. Glanni quickly kicked the door to the bathroom shut.

“Get the fuck out! I’m not pretty yet.” Came the muffled shout from behind the door.

“You’re always pretty!” Ithrotaalfurin called back, then added to the nurse in a quieter tone. “I’m alright.”

“Shut your fuck!” Replied Glanni, followed by the sound of running water.

Ithrotaalfurin held in a snicker, trying to be apologetic to the nurse that had been bothered. The nurse rolled his eyes and checked the Elf’s vitals quickly, frowning about the fact Ithrotaalfurin had taken out his IV _again._ The nurse didn’t bother trying to put it back but reminded the patient that he needed to drink plenty of water and take his iron supplements, the later of which Glanni had been taking and flushing for him. The nurse left, shutting the door behind him.

Glanni emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later. His hair was still damp and sticking up oddly, unbrushed and barely towel dried. The pajama shirt was baggy on him, coming to mid thigh on him. His pants were loose too, too long even for how tall he was. His face was bare of any makeup, not even thin eyeliner or any shimmer of gloss on his lips. Ithrotaalfurin had never seen the other look so exposed.

The heart monitor began to speed up again, though not to the extent it had before. Glanni looked over to it, brow furrowing before he looked over to the Elf and smirked.

“So _this_ is what you’re into.” He observed aloud.

“You look nice.” Ithrotaalfurin said with a shrug and a smile.

Glanni’s wings twitched where they lay against his back under his shirt and he looked away, wringing his hands. The Elf was surprised. He had never seen his companion truly nervous before except for maybe once, and not to this extent. Then again, he had never seen what color Glanni’s lips actually were before either. This was the first time Ithrotaalfurin was seeing _Glanni_ without any barriers. Glanni was _letting_ himself be seen.

He didn’t have long to reflect on the matter before the Fae had climbed back into the bed with him. Glanni tucked himself under the Elf’s arm and as close to his side as he could possibly get, letting out a heavy sigh as he got comfortable. Ithrotaalfurin carded his fingers through the others dark hair, at first trying to put it into some form of order but quickly abandoning that particular mission.

“What do you want to do when you get out of the hospital?” Glanni asked suddenly after a few quiet minutes.

“I haven’t thought about it. I suppose I’ll go wandering in my balloon again until someone needs me.”

Glanni groaned. “That’s what you _always_ do. I mean something special.”

“Did you have something in mind?”

“No. I just think it's weird that you’re almost as old as me and you do the same shit all the time. Don’t you get bored?”

Ithrotaalfurin huffed. “And how old are you exactly?”

“Two hundred and… eighty? Ninety? I lost fuckin’ count ages ago. I don’t think I’m three hundred yet.”

“I’m two hundred and sixteen.” Ithrotaalfurin offered.

“I know. Your granddaughter tells me your birthday every time she sees me.” Glanni snickered. “We were both born in winter.”

“Well if you can’t remember your birthday you can borrow mine.”

“If we use the same birthday then that means twice as much birthday sex.” Glanni chuckled, trapping one of the Elf’s legs between his own. 

Ithrotaalfurin turned toward him as much as he could, having to stay on his back but still making the effort. The wires taped to his chest stopped him from getting too far and he huffed to himself. If his heart monitor brought a nurse in when it got too fast then surely he’d have several barging in if the monitor stopped entirely. If not for that thought he would have removed those too.

Glanni rolled his eyes and sat up, swinging a leg over the hero to sit on his hips, leaning forward against his chest. Now given two heartbeats, the heart monitor ended up making a very strange rhythm that was an even mix of interesting and annoying. Glanni huffed and sat up again.

“Well, I’m not getting back to sleep.” Glanni said dryly, looking at the monitor with disdain. “Wanna see if we can make it do tricks?”

“I _want_ to throw it out of the window.” Ithrotaalfurin sighed, bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “I hate the beeping.”

“Yeah….” Glanni agreed. “It gets old after two hours.”

“I have to leave it on, though. I think the nurses are already annoyed enough with me.” The Elf sighed deeply through his nose, his hand finding the other’s knee of its own accord. “You’ve been here for two days.”

“Three. You were out for one…” Glanni corrected, covering the other’s hand with his own.

“You stayed.”

“Of course I stayed. I was scared shitless you’d die and then I’d be _alone._ ”

That statement hung heavily in the air for a fair few moments.

“Glanni… You’ve never been alone since I met you. You have I don’t even know how many partners, this entire city, and a gang.”

“You’re more important.”

The monitor quickened its pace again for a moment and Ithrotaalfurin looked at their joined hands. He laced their fingers together, idly noting that the Fae’s usually flawless nail polish was chipped in a few places. His other hand made its way up to Glanni’s cheek. Glanni leaned into the touch, letting his eyes close. Ithrotaalfurin pulled him down and their mouths met softly. Their joined hands separated as Ithrotaalfurin settled his on the bend of the other’s hip.

Given both of his hands were free now, Glanni settled his weight on one arm and set the other lightly on the side of Ithrotaalfurin’s throat, skimming his thumb along the Elf’s jaw. He shifted to kiss his companion’s forehead, prompting a surprised chuckle.

“What?” Glanni asked, not pulling back.

“This is new.”

“Sorry, too much? You probably don’t have enough blood to spare for your dick…”

“Actually,” The Elf bent one of his legs and planted his foot, using the leverage to press himself against the Fae. “Elves heal fast. I might get dizzy if I try to stand up but this is fine.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want you passing out in me.”

Ithrotaalfurin laughed openly at that. “I won’t pass out. I’m fine.”

Glanni sat up, grinding lightly but deliberately as he did so, before lifting off of the bed. He removed the sheets from his Elf and pushed the hospital gown up and off, throwing it to the floor. He pressed kisses to a now exposed collarbone, then ran his tongue down the dip between the Elf’s pectorals, working around the wired pads. Ithrotaalfurin gasped, unused to such gentle treatment. Usually the Fae was all tooth and nail. 

“Glanni,” He began, but forgot what he had wanted to say once silver eyes met his own gold.

Glanni seemed to understand anyway, coming back up to Ithrotaalfurin’s mouth. He let the Elf’s tongue claim his mouth, both of Ithrotaalfurin’s hands finding his face as the Elf slowly rutted against his clothed ass. Glanni whined quietly into his mouth.

The door opened as an annoyed nurse made himself known. “Will you stop spiking the damn monitor?”

Glanni sat up, eyes flaring pink as the door slammed shut again. There was a creak as the wood of the door fused to the wall. Ithrotaalfurin covered his face, now embarrassed. Glanni removed his hands, kissing each palm.

“Nobody can get in now.” The Fae assured, reaching over to turn the monitor off and helping detach the wires.

Both men took a moment to appreciate the lack of beeping. They both laughed after, and Glanni left the bed to search one of his boots. He found what he needed and returned, taking off his sweatpants but leaving the shirt on before reclaiming his seat on Ithrotaalfurin’s hips. He took the time to finger himself as he wasn’t as loose as usual after three days of chastity. Ithrotaalfurin watched him, mesmerised before he took the Fae’s hand and replaced it with his own fingers as Glanni braced himself on the hero’s shoulders.

“Are you alright?” Ithrotaalfurin asked.

“You’re the one injured.” Glanni pointed out, rocking back against the fingers inside of him. “I’m perfect.”

“Yes.” Ithrotaalfurin agreed, removing his hand and moving both to the Fae’s hips to guide him down onto his cock.

Glanni whimpered, following the slow pace they had begun. Even with the achingly tender thrusts their breathing became labored, low moans escaping the criminal each time his Elf pressed further into him.

“Glanni?” Ithrotaalfurin asked again.

Glanni responded by pitching forward, pressing himself close and breathing into the Elf’s hair. His arms came around to cradle Ithrotaalfurin’s head, tangling his fingers in the lighter hair. He pushed back against another thrust until their faces were level. He then rubbed his cheek against the Elf’s, smiling at the tickle of his mustache before kissing the pointed ear.

“Hold me?” Glanni whispered.

Ithrotaalfurin gladly wrapped his arms firmly around the Fae’s shoulders and hips, careful of the wings that fluttered and twitched under the shirt Glanni had yet to take off. The new angle drove them over the edge after a few more thrusts, only quickening their pace as they both came undone together, Glanni panting loudly into his ear.

They stilled, catching their breath for a moment before Glanni pulled off of Ithrotaalfurin. He settled at the Elf’s side, wriggling out of the shirt and using it to wipe them both off. After an accidental nap, Glanni helped Ithrotaalfurin into the shower.


	23. Risks and Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faerie can't break promises, whether they're deals or swears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brynjar means 'protection' or 'armor'.

“If you’re well enough to fuck you can go home.” Said the nurse once Glanni fixed the door.

After their shower Glanni had covered his face in makeup once again and put the sweatpants on. He couldn’t put the soiled cat shirt back on so he dug through the bag to find another one that was just as big. He borrowed Ithrotaalfurin’s belt to tighten the shirt around his waist, one shoulder hanging off. Once the thigh high boots were on and he had adjusted how the shirt hung off of him it looked more like a planned outfit instead of pajamas.

Ithrotaalfurin appreciated the Fae’s talent for looking his best, but he had enjoyed seeing how the other looked naturally. 

Doris was waiting for them when they stepped out, Glanni allowing himself to be used as a crutch. Sportacus was with the Driver. Ithrotaalfurin wondered what his son had been doing since leaving the hospital. He wasn’t sure if he actually wanted to know, given the nature of the city. He hoped the younger Elf had adjusted better than he did at least.

Glanni and Sportacus both helped Ithrotaalfurin up into the carriage. Doris smirked.

“Heard you two were terrorizin’ the staff.” The Driver said smugly. “You couldn’t give the man a break to recover, Glitter?”

Glanni threw a hand up and snorted, wordlessly asking what he had done to deserve the accusation. Everyone knew the answer. Nobody pointed it out aloud, but one of the Ponies did let out an amused snuffle around his bit.

“Oh shut up, Oliver.”

Sportacus turned his attention to check on his father, making sure Ithrotaalfurin wasn’t hurting or nauseous, though the older Elf did admit he was a bit lightheaded. 

They arrived at Doris’s house a few minutes later. Sportacus actually carried his father up the stairs to Glanni’s room.

“I’ll be fine in a day or two.” Ithrotaalfurin assured his son. “Go back to your family.”

“Are you sure?” Sportacus asked.

“I’ll take good care of him.” Glanni answered as Ithrotaalfurin nodded.

“Alright…”Sportacus conceded. “But send a letter if anything happens.”

“I will.”

Sportacus left after that, leaving his father and Glanni to themselves. Glanni shut the door and took off his clothes, complaining that he was hot. Ithrotaalfurin meanwhile had bundled himself in blankets on the bed, watching his Fae with an amused glint to his eye.

“I see your heinie,  
It’s nice and shiny.” He recited in singsong.

Glanni turned to him with a confused glare.

“It makes me giggle,  
To see it wiggle.” The elf continued.

Glanni rolled his eyes but shook his hips for a second to play along before lifting himself to sit on the dresser.

“If you don’t hide it,  
I’m gonna bite it.”

Glanni let out a laugh. “Cute.” He commented. “I don’t think you can handle two rounds today.”

“You would be right.” The Elf agreed. “My wife… She used to sing it to Sportacus when he was a child. Once he found out how to take off his clothes he refused to stay in them. I saw her when I was…” He frowned, trailing off. “I may have just been dreaming but I think she likes you.”

“She has good taste then.” Glanni preened, then grew serious. “I meant it.”

“Meant what?”

“That I love you.”

Ithrotaalfurin didn’t respond to that. The streak of doubt was presence in his mind, painful but rational. It must have shown on his face, or perhaps Glanni was just aware of how the statement sounded when it was coming from a promiscuous criminal that hadn’t done much to prove his words.

“I swear on my _wings._ ” Glanni promised, flaring the appendages wide behind him. “You don’t have to believe me and I know I’m no good at emotional shit but… My wings are yours.”

The gambled wings stayed firmly attached to Glanni's back. Ithrotaalfurin’s breath caught in his throat. Glanni moved into the bathroom and scrubbed his face. He returned, settling on his bed next to the other. He fished one of Ithrotaalfurin’s hands from the blankets. He moved the hand to his clean face.

“No one but you knows my face. That’s yours.” He moved the hand to his chest, letting the Elf feel his heartbeat. “This is yours. I share so much but these things are for you.”

“I’ve been yours for years.” Ithrotaalfurin told him quietly.

“I know.” 

“It was cruel.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why did you want me to love you when we both knew you couldn’t do the same?”

“I was lonely and you were fun. I was being friendly.”

“You sleep with your friends?” Ithrotaalfurin asked before realizing it was a stupid question. “Nevermind.”

“Do you want me to stop?”

The Elf thought about it. Glanni had sworn on his wings. Faerie could not break promises and to offer one’s wings was nearly unheard of. Glanni would always come back to him no matter what now. He already had before but now they could set rules. Maybe they could finally meet on common ground. He could say ‘yes’ but he knew his mate’s nature. His mind reeled as he realized they _were_ mates now and it wasn’t just him wasting wishes. Glanni would never be happy with monogamy.

“No. You need more than me.” He finally answered. “However… If… If you want someone other than me while I’m around please ask first.”

“Done. Anything else?”

“Always come back to me at the end of the night? Or at least here?”

“Don’t spend the night with anyone else but you?”

“Exactly.” The Elf confirmed.

“I can do that.” Glanni smiled.

A weight the Elf hadn’t even been aware of lifted as they agreed and he leaned forward to kiss the Fae. He whispered his name to the other. Glanni was surprised, but realized an Elf would never give their true name to an entire town.

“I could have guessed ‘Brynjar.’ It just had to be something heroic, didn’t it?” Glanni chuckled.

“My mother considered ‘Bjorn’.” Ithrotaalfurin admitted, prompting a snort for me Fae.

“You’re not nearly a bear. You’re a twunk at the most.”

Ithrotaalfurin had no idea what any of that meant but from tone he supposed he had been complemented. Glanni leaned over and kissed him, telling him to get some rest. It was a bit late, he was warm in the fuzzy pink blankets, and he couldn’t deny he was exhausted. He fell asleep as soon as he felt arms wrap around the cocoon he had made of himself.


	24. Places

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is where they belong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everytime I say it's the end I have another idea. And I already have an idea so I'm not even going to try to say it this time.

Glanni kept to his word on taking care of Ithrotaalfurin, not allowing the Elf to leave his room until he could lift the Fae without straining himself. It wasn’t a difficult feat, given the fact Glanni had hollow bones and was skinny even for his species. Still, it took four days before Ithrotaalfurin could meet the challenge. Glanni delighted in being lifted and pinned against his door as soon as the hero was able to support him.

They separated on their first day being outside again. Ithrotaalfurin wanted to make sure Russel and Marius were healing and adjusting. Glanni, meanwhile, claimed he had business to get done that day and headed straight to the police station.

He walked directly to the office he knew he needed be him. He let himself in without bothering to knock and seated himself on the cop’s desk. The officer looked up and grinned around the pen he was chewing on before transferring the utensil to his ear.

“Hey sexy.” Peter greeted.

“Hey gorgeous.” Glanni returned. “I need a little favor.”

Peter straightened up, folding his arms across his chest. “It’s not going to get us both in trouble is it?”

“I don’t think so. You have the bloodbath fuckbean jailed here, right? I need him transferred to Mayhemtown’s prison.”

“Transfer’s easy, but why?”

“Plausible deniability.” Glanni answered, raising a brow.

“Right.” Peter nodded, taking the pen from behind his ear and opening a drawer to search for the file. “You gonna hang out here and have some fun?”

“Not now, no. I have to ask my boyfriend first.”

Peter’s pen skidded, ripping a line through the form he was filling out. _“What?”_ He sniffed and balled the paper up to throw away. “I must be out of my mind, I don’t think I heard you right.”

“I have to ask my boyfriend.” Glanni repeated.

“When you said you were in love in the car… Shit, if you're asking permissions you must be serious.” Peter chuckled. “I pity the poor bastard that has to keep up with your shit twenty-four seven.”

Glanni blew a raspberry at the cop, who rolled his eyes at the immature behavior. He slid off the desk and quickly snatched Peter's hat away, placing it on his own head. It looked rather nice with his standard catsuit, but Peter took it back before Glanni could leave with it.

Glanni made his way to Blush right after, glad to get a hug from the Chief before using the phone. He just had to call Brutus, the second-in-command of the Mayhemtown Gang. A few members were stuck in the prison there and he wanted to make sure they would know not to let the new arrival sleep. He knew Greg would be on death row once the bodies of the other two men were found and he thought it fair punishment to keep him awake for the rest of his life. After he put the phone down he noticed Chief watching him.

“Damn. You having a cherry day?”

“Maybe not a whole day.” He moved to the stool and folded his arms on the bar, laying his head in them. “I wouldn’t be opposed to a little.”

“How’s Nine doing?” The Chief passed him a jar and a full glass of vodka, along with an empty bowl. “Trevor said he had to kick you two out of the hospital.”

“Yeah,” Glanni snickered, a grin creeping onto his face as he began mixing the cherries and his drink in the bowl, letting them soak. “He’s all healed as far as I can tell but I think his wrists are going to scar. He’ll be okay.”

“Good. I like him, he’s good for you. You’re less of a bitch when he’s around.”

“I’ll be a bitch until I die, babe. You can fuck off.”

Chief laughed and shook his head. The two continued their banter as one worked and the other loitered until the hero came to collect his villain. They kissed each other by way of greeting, prompting Chief to wolf whistle.

Glanni and Ithrotaalfurin spent another few days in the town before saying their goodbyes, restocking the hot air balloon, and returning to the sky. The Elf was happy to be wandering again, and Glanni was happy to let his wings breath as he flew circles around the aircraft. They made a quick stop in Mayhemtown for the Fae to check on his gang, then they left for Lazytown. Ithrotaalfurin didn’t have to sleep alone for a single night.

As soon as they landed in Lazytown the Elf was practically buried in ‘Get Well’ cards from everyone. He laughed as he was tackled by his granddaughter, both of them surprised when he hit the ground. Even at just fourteen she had almost reached his height. Sportacus helped them both up, glad to see his father in much better health than their last interaction.

Glanni stayed out of the way of the reunion. He watched for a while, a smile on his face. He left a few minutes later to search the forest for dens. He found Fawn and Bobby’s hole near a rockpile after nearly half an hour of looking for it. He actually would have passed it if not for the freckled woman tearing out of the ground to chase him away. He quickly flew out of her reach.

Bobby followed Fawn out, considerably less aggressive. His injuries had healed but left prominent scars across his face and hands where his clothing didn't cover him. He had a limp, his broken legs having healed a little crooked. There were gaps in the fur of his abdomen. Regardless, he looked happy.

“We got eggs down here Mistah Glaepur. You can’t just be walkin’ around. You’re way too close, come on.” Bobby said, walking away from the den.

Fawn simply snarled and crawled back into the den. Bobby watched her go fondly before turning back toward the hovering Fae, who cautiously landed. 

“I should apologize to you,” Glanni began. “For calling you a dumbass.”

Bobby frowned, confused. “You never called me a dumbass.”

“I thought it.” Glanni admitted. “I figured anybody that’s alright dying to make someone else happy has to be a stupid son of a bitch.”

Bobby shrugged and said nothing, letting Glanni continue uninterrupted.

“Nine got hurt while we were gone and that just… I wouldn’t be able to hurt him. I don’t ever want to see him broken like that again. I get why you didn’t fight back now.” Glanni explained. “Of course if he actually tried to hurt me I’d leave his ass in a heartbeat but he doesn’t have a ‘kill urge’ after I fuck him. Elves don’t do that so I think we’ll be fine.”

Bobby chuckled. “Yeah, Fawn couldn’t help it. She did stop herself, then started crying… That hurt more than all the scratches.”

Glanni hummed thoughtfully at that. “Well, I’ll get away from your den before she gets pissed off.”

“Eh, she’ll calm down once the eggs hatch.” Said Bobby, and the two parted ways.

Glanni found Ithrotaalfurin again easily. The Elf and his son were in a different part of the forest with Ella and Robbie, helping the girl dig under a tree. She could do it herself, but it had become a family thing somehow. Most likely because Elves were family oriented and parenting didn’t really end for them just because their child moved away.

It seemed to be a family thing. After watching a few minutes, Glanni picked up the spare shovel.

**Author's Note:**

> If you would, please check out my patreon. I'm in the process of writing an original story called Mismagicked.  
> Link: https://patreon.com/catdogwhatever


End file.
